A federal judge in California has struck down the 2019 regulation that made numerous changes to the EB5 immigrant investor visa program, most notably a sizable increase in the minimum investment requirement. Under the 2019 rule, the minimum investment increased to $1.8 million for standard...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued policy revisions to the USCIS Policy Manual with regard to the criteria for expedite requests by applicants and petitioners, as well as the issuance of requests for evidence (RFEs) and notices of intent to deny (NOIDs)....
Today, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the July 2021 Visa Bulletin. All cutoff dates listed refer to the dates in the final action chart (i.e., Chart A), unless otherwise specified. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not yet indicated whether stakeholders...
Alejandra Mayorkas, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the opening keynote speaker at the AILA Annual Conference on Thursday, June 10, 2021, held virtually. He is the first Latino and immigrant Secretary of the DHS. He shared some updates, including...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated Burma (Myanmar) for temporary protected status (TPS) and provided flexibility for employment authorization to Burmese F-1 students based on severe economic hardship. These accommodations are due to the ongoing political crisis in Burma.The Burma designation for TPS...
During a U.S. Department of State open forum, Mr. Charles Oppenheim, the Chief of the Immigrant Visa Control Unit, provided a couple of updated predictions for the July 2021 Visa Bulletin. Mr. Oppenheim expects that the cutoff date for EB3 India will move ahead to...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced that it has reinterpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to grant U.S. citizenship at birth to a child born abroad, as long as the parents were married at the time of the child’s birth and the...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a request for public input in April 2021, regarding "…how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) can reduce administrative and other barriers and burdens within its regulations and policies, including those that prevent foreign citizens from easily...
It can take years for a foreign national to be granted status as a lawful permanent resident (i.e., "green card" holder) through one of the employment-based categories. This is especially true for applicants born in one of the heavily oversubscribed countries, notably India and China....
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has withdrawn a 2018 notice of proposed rulemaking that would have eliminated the International Entrepreneur (IE) parole program. This program is aimed at expanding the immigration options for foreign entrepreneurs who help the U.S. economy by creating jobs,...
