29 Jul 2021

Visa Processing by NVC and Consular Posts During COVID-19 Pandemic

With the ongoing pandemic, there have been severe backlogs in immigrant visa processing at U.S. consular posts. The overwhelming majority of consular posts still have limited capacity to process immigrant visas. Due to the delayed visa interviews during the pandemic, the National Visa Center (NVC)...

05 Jul 2021

July 2021 Visa Bulletin Check-In

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently held its monthly YouTube program with Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division. During the program, Mr. Oppenheim provided some updated predictions for the rest of fiscal year 2021 (FY21), which runs through September 30,...

05 May 2021

Exemptions and Exceptions to Proclamation Suspending Travel from India to Curb COVID-19

President Biden's Proclamation suspending travel from India, first announced on Friday, April 30, 2021, is now effective. The Proclamation bans the entry of nonimmigrants who were physically present in India during the last 14-days, and is effective until further notice.Importantly, this prohibition on entry has...

22 Mar 2021

April 2021 Visa Bulletin Check-In

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has launched a new monthly program on YouTube, to allow Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, to provide insight and predictions related to the visa bulletin. This month, Mr. Oppenheim provides some updated predictions for...

10 Mar 2021

USCIS to Allow Certain I-485 Derivative Applicants to Re-file Rejected Applications

In the wake of the rush of I-485 filings in October 2020, reports began to surface of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rejecting many applications filed by derivatives. Specifically, the USCIS rejected these applications for leaving boxes 3.a. and 9 blank in Part...

15 Feb 2021

2021 Poverty Guideline: Impacts on Affidavits of Support

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...

22 Dec 2020

USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Requests Until Jan 31, 2021

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again extended the response time flexibility, initially announced on March 30, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This flexibility applies to applicants and petitioners responding to any of the following, issued from March 1, 2020 through January...