June 28, 2023|Contributed by: Zachary New
The FY 2024 filing season ends on June 30th, 2023, and as we conclude this year’s H-1B cap season, USCIS is starting to ramp up a new investigation and enforcement season in its place. This year’s lottery was strange in a lot of ways. The total number of registrations jumped from approximately 480,000 to 780,000. […]
June 27, 2023|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Under current regulations, nonimmigrants that are the beneficiaries of an approved Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, are not automatically granted employment authorization in the United States. Despite the I-140 approval, these individuals must maintain their nonimmigrant status for potentially over a decade while they wait for a visa to become available. This means […]
June 25, 2023|Contributed by: Jennifer Howard
On June 23, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered an 8-1 ruling rejecting Texas and Louisiana’s challenge to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy that aimed to prioritize certain individuals for Deportation enforcement. This ruling represents a significant legal victory for the Biden administration. The Challenged Policy At the core of the case was […]
June 1, 2023|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Immigration News: What is a DS-5535 In this video, Zachary New discusses administrative processing and the DS-5535 form issued by consulates. After an in-person visa interview, there are instances where a consular officer cannot make an immediate decision, leading to a period known as administrative processing. While usually not time-consuming, some cases may require legal […]
June 1, 2023|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
Immigration News: Who Can File an I-130 In this video, Luke Niermann provides an overview of the family-based I-130 petition process for sponsoring a green card. He explains that U.S. citizens can petition for immediate relatives, such as spouses, parents, and unmarried children under 21. Other family categories, including children over 21, siblings, and permanent […]
May 28, 2023|Contributed by: Joseph & Hall P.C.
The Department of State published a final rule on March 28, 2023 which would raise the price of all nonimmigrant visas applications for visa types that don’t require a previously approved USCIS petition, including B1/B2 tourist visas and F-1 student visas and Border Crossing Cards for Mexican citizens from $160 to $185. The rates for […]
May 27, 2023|Contributed by: Luke Niermann
On May 18, 2023, USCIS announced that it was updating the review process for supporters who filed Form I-134A to facilitate entry into the U.S. for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Under this program, the U.S. government may grant advance travel authorization for up to 30,000 individuals each month from these countries to […]
May 26, 2023|Contributed by: Jennifer Howard
May 26, 2023 | Contributed by Jennifer M. Howard, Esq. According to the most recent compliance report published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the number of work permit applications (Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization) adjudicated by the agency within 30 days of receipt has increased from a 4.5 percent low in July […]
May 26, 2023|Contributed by: Zachary New
Without much fanfare, the Department of State has put out a news release titled “Facilitating Travel and Safeguarding National Security.” In it, the Department announces a more streamlined process for the “extensive security screening” all visa applicants must undergo prior to visa issuance. It states that since October 2022, most cases that would have previously […]
May 24, 2023|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
This month United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new information regarding the coming family parole process for people from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (and the modernization of existing family reunification parole for nationals of Cuba and Haiti). USCIS indicates that more information will be announced in mid-June 2023. While the agency […]
