The October 2015 Visa Bulletin from the U.S. Department of State (DOS) reflects a newly revised system of dual cutoff dates. As of October, the visa bulletin contains a new, separate cutoff date chart for filing the application for adjustment (form I-485). The cutoff dates...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is reportedly working to implement a significant change to the monthly visa bulletin system, as part President Obama's push to streamline the U.S. immigrant visa system. According to an article published in The National Law Review, the DOS plans to begin...
On August 10, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a draft memorandum regarding certain legal requirements for the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) immigrant investor category. The memo specifically addresses two key EB5 requirements: job creation and sustaining the EB5 investment over the two-year...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), through Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, provides a monthly explanation of the visa bulletin contents. The September 2015 Visa Bulletin contains some significant cutoff date movements, both forward and backward. Accordingly, Mr. Oppenheim has...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2015 Visa Bulletin, which is the final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2015. To the disappointment of many, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India and China retrogresses to January 1, 2006. On a far more...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an explanation regarding signature waivers for permanent resident cards (i.e. green cards). This is in reference to situations in which a form I-551 (commonly, a "green card") bears the notation signature waived, rather than the green card...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched eFOIA a new, free mobile application that allows users to submit and track Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This is part of an ongoing effort to improve the FOIA process and response time within the DHS. DHS...
Maria M. Odom, the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman), has submitted her office's 2015 Annual Report to Congress. This annual report includes lists of problems within the immigration system identified by the CIS Ombudsman's office, as well as recommended solutions. Background on the CIS Ombudsman The...
On July 15, 2015, the White House released a report outlining recommendations for changes to the U.S. immigration system, in order to "…bring the system into the 21st century." The report identifies avenues for making improvements to the immigration system and is titled, Modernizing and Streamlining...
Each month, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) provides a report with insights into visa bulletin cutoff date movements. This month's report, which follows the release of the August 2015 Visa Bulletin, discusses the unanticipated movement in the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category, and offers a...
