In recent years, each time an annual budget or continuing resolution has been passed into law, it has also been used to extend certain immigration programs that were scheduled to expire. The omnibus spending bill signed into law on December 27, 2020, which funds the...
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Following the release of the August 2020 Visa Bulletin, Mr. Oppenheim provided a few minor updates. EB1 Category In the August 2020 Visa...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the August 2020 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 China and India categories continue to advance. The...
The employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) category returns to being current in the July 2020 Visa Bulletin. This is the first time in a year that EB5 India has not required a final action cutoff date in the monthly visa bulletin. Still, it is important to...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the July 2020 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 category for India continues to advance. The cutoff...
Most months, Charles Oppenheim, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Oppenheim is currently working from home, and therefore is unable to access certain government databases....
Most foreign nationals who apply for permanent residency (commonly, a “green card”), through the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor category, meet the investment requirement by using the regional center program. Although the EB5 petition process is largely identical whether the immigrant investor applies through...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has finally released the May 2020 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 category for all countries of chargeability except...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the April 2020 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action (FA) chart, unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 cutoff date for China moves slightly forward to...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, effective March 31, 2020, it will no longer adjudicate immigrant petitions by alien investor (form I-526) on a first-in, first-out basis. Rather, the USCIS will prioritize those EB5 petitions in which the immigrant investor has...
