Answer One MUST be in the United States to file an I-485. If one is not, s/he must apply for a green card through consular processing with the U.S. Department of State at a U.S. consulate. The employer may need to file form I-824 to convert...
An overview of immigration issues related to employees traveling to the United States from abroad is provided in this teleconference from July 3, 2019. Discussed are situations employees may face, including extreme vetting, visa processing, and what happens during the immigration inspection process by U.S....
In 2017, the Trump Administration began the implementation of an "extreme vetting" program for certain foreign nationals requesting admission to the United States. As part of this program, a foreign national applying for a visa at a U.S. consulate abroad may be asked to complete...
Answer Assuming that the company has not yet filed an H1B petition, the proper visa for one in this situation would normally be a B-1/B-2 "visitor" visa. This type of visa is not "sponsored." However, a letter from the company, on company letterhead, inviting one to...
Answer An application to adjust status (I-485) can only be filed by an individual (not a company) present in the United States in valid status subsequent to a lawful admission with very few exceptions. If that is not the case, one can still "consular process" for...
The U.S. State Department (DOS) has implemented changes to electronic forms DS-160, Application for a Nonimmigrant Visa, and DS-260, Application for an Immigrant Visa, that go into effect immediately. These applications will now request information about the social media username or handle used by an...
Answer Normally, one can apply for a visa "stamp" in any country, outside the U.S., where one is physically present. However, check the consulate's website before traveling, as some have unique rules for third-country nationals. Also, if you apply at a consulate other than the one...
The Trump Administration has released a memorandum that is ostensibly designed to combat "the large numbers of aliens who overstay their period of lawful admission… ." The memo focuses primarily on those who overstay B-1/B-2 business / visitor status and those who overstay following admission...
Effective May 1, 2019, citizens of Israel will be able to access the E-2 (treaty investor) visa category. The United States and Israel had signed a qualifying treaty in June 2012. However, the E-2 visa program for Israeli citizens could not become effective until Israel...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will be closing all international operations (IO) division offices by the end of 2019. The USCIS IO division is comprised of 24 field offices in 21 foreign countries. These offices have served as hubs...
