The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, Charles Oppenheim, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions most months. This month, Mr. Oppenheim provides some additional insight into what to expect and look out for during fiscal year 2019 (FY19),...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a table of the national average processing times by fiscal year for various types of forms, through the first half of FY18. The U.S. government fiscal year runs from October 1st through September 30th. The data shows that...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing the fee charged by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for premium processing. Effective October 1, 2018, the fee for premium processing will increase from $1,225 to $1,410. Background on Fee Increase For an added fee, premium...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its adjustment-of-status filing charts webpage today, indicating that the more favorable dates for filing (DF) chart is to be used for all family- and employment-based categories in the October 2018 Visa Bulletin. Most of the dates in...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is temporarily closing certain offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. This move was made because of the dangerous weather conditions created by Hurricane Florence. Details for rescheduling cancelled appointments at those offices are available on the...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the October 2018 Visa Bulletin. This is the first visa bulletin for fiscal year 2019 (FY19), and reflects recovery from the retrogression that occurred in the August 2018 Visa Bulletin. Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The cutoff dates for...
A report released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) has provided an analysis of the sharp increase in denials and requests for evidence (RFE) for H1B and L-1 petitions due to new federal policies on immigration. According to the report, the denial rate...
On September 6, 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a public stakeholder teleconference to provide some additional guidance on how the July 13, 2018 Issuance of Certain RFEs and NOIDs memorandum will be implemented. This memo, which goes into effect on Tuesday,...
On August 8, 2018, the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ) filed a grievance against the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), alleging that the EOIR violated an immigration judge’s authority to make decisions based on independent judgment...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a news alert advising stakeholders impacted by special circumstances (e.g., natural catastrophes and other extreme situations), including the California wildfires, that certain forms of immigration relief may be available on a discretionary basis. Types of Relief for...
