On October 21, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released the updated version of the extreme hardship policy section of its policy manual. This section guides USCIS adjudicators on determining extreme hardship to qualifying relatives for discretionary waivers of inadmissibility. The guidance becomes...
Answer Unfortunately, this is a difficult scenario. The GC spouse needs to file an I-130 in the FB2A category, but this can have a priority date wait of several years. The foreign national can potentially come on a nonimmigrant visa of his/her own, such as an...
On October 24, 2016 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted a notice in the Federal Register announcing an increase in filing fees for most types of immigration filings. These fee increases are scheduled to go into effect December 23, 2016. USCIS Rationale for Fee...
Answer As part of filing for a green card based on a marriage to a U.S. citizen, one must demonstrate the validity of your marriage (i.e. your joint life together). If the couple is living apart, they will need to provide documentation evidencing the cause for...
Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), supplies monthly visa bulletin explanations. This month's update related to the November 2016 Visa Bulletin includes insights into the employment-based, second preference category for India and China, as...
On October 3, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down a request by the Obama administration to rehear a case that has halted implementation of the President's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and the expansion of the Deferred...
Answer This is generally not be possible, because one in this situation is normally unable to properly complete an I-9 form. (10.Oct.2016)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law in real time. For details on chat...
As of August 1, 2016, any civil surgeon completing a report of medical examination and vaccination record (form I-693) for an applicant who is 15 years of age or older, must test the applicant for gonorrhea. This policy change came with virtually no notice to...
Answer A U.S. citizen can sponsor his/her mother (or father), if she is already here on a B-2 visa, and she should be able to receive her "green card" without departing the United States. One's parent should not come on a visitor visa with the intention...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) visa bulletin changed to a dual chart system as of the October 2015 Visa Bulletin. Almost a year since this change went into effect, however, there continues to be a great deal of confusion over when the cutoff dates...
