This morning, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the June 2022 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 category remains current for all...
Answer Although a person may apply for a B-1/B-2 visa for a particular purpose (e.g., to visit family) or a particular event (e.g., attending a specific conference), the B-1/B-2 visa normally is not tied to any specific activity or event. Rather, as long the visa remains...
Answer Each spouse needs to apply based on his or her individual appointment slot. After the appointments are scheduled, the consulate has discretion to then grant an expedite appointment to the spouse with the later appointment date. There is no guarantee that this will be granted,...
Answer U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has indicated that, if a foreign national is engaged in a marijuana business in Canada, where there is no commerce with the United States, that alone likely would not make the individual inadmissible to the U.S. (12.May.2022)Sheela Murthy and...
A foreign national who requires a nonimmigrant visa to travel to the United States normally must fill out form DS-160, an online nonimmigrant visa application. Consular officers use the information entered in the DS-160 to process the visa application and determine an applicant's eligibility for...
Answer Yes, it is possible. However, each employer must fully comply with the standard STEM OPT requirements, including the requirement that it employ the individual for a minimum of 20 hours per week. (04.May.2022)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For...
Answer No, the online I-94 tool on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website only provides information related to the I-94 issued upon the individual's most recent entry into the United States. If the person's status is changed or extended after being admitted, those details...
Answer Trying to determine whether a particular location qualifies as a high unemployment area can be challenging. The requirement is that the business must be located in a census tract, or contiguous census tracts, experiencing unemployment of at least 150 percent of the national average. Sometimes,...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a temporary final rule that temporarily increases the automatic extension period of certain employment authorization documents (EADs) while the form I-765 renewal application is pending. Under this temporary rule, rather than extending the validity period of...
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has extended the guidance issued in March 2020 for the 2022-23 academic year. This guidance allows certain continuing F and M students to enroll in more distance learning (e.g., online classes) than normally allowed. This accommodation was made...
