Many MurthyDotCom readers will consider options for naturalizing to U.S. citizenship at some point in their immigration journeys. This often gives rise to questions regarding family members, including one’s children. This is a broad overview of how children born outside of the United States may...
The concept of priority dates is confusing for many. There are statutory limits to the number of foreign nationals who may be granted permanent residency (commonly, green cards) under all employment-based (EB) and most family-based (FB) categories. For these types of green card cases, priority...
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the April 2023 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category There is no movement in the EB1 category, with...
On February 14, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) issued updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual that significantly improves the protections offered by the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). Per the new guidance, in certain circumstances, CSPA age determinations may be based...
Each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for setting federal poverty guidelines, which are used to determine whether an individual or family qualifies for certain government benefits. These guidelines are important in the immigration context, particularly with respect to...
Many foreign nationals who are hoping to become lawful permanent residents (LPRs) face extended backlogs in visa number availability. Since visa number backlogs vary enormously by the country against which an applicant is counted or "charged," it is important to understand the options for favorable...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 20, 2020, is being extended. This extension applies to qualifying USCIS requests issued through January 24, 2023. Response Time Flexibility The USCIS has extended the response time flexibility for...
A foreign national may be found to be inadmissible (i.e., ineligible to enter the United States, adjust status from within the U.S., or apply for certain other immigration benefits) for a variety of reasons. Some categories of inadmissibility result in a permanent bar to the...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final rule in the Federal Register, which reaffirms long-standing guidance applicable for determinations of whether an individual is likely to become a public charge. A foreign national who is considered likely to become a public...
The Biden Administration has published a final rule to codify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as a regulation. The DACA program provides certain temporary protections and benefits to qualifying undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors. The rule...
