09 Dec 2021

Have there been any updates on the status of the EB5 program? Is it still possible to qualify for EB5 based on an investment of $500,000, or has the investment requirement changed?

Answer No, there have not been any recent changes. For now, we are still waiting to see what Congress will do regarding reauthorization of the EB5 regional center program. Congress passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through February 18, 2022. The hope is...

18 Nov 2021

I am a U.S. citizen and I sponsored my mother for a green card. Due to backlogs, the earliest date I could get for her appointment at the consulate is about 6 months from now. In the meantime, can she visit me on her tourist visa?

Answer Immigration officers at the U.S. ports of entry generally have discretion to admit a person on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa while that individual has a green card case pending. However, to be admitted on a B-1/B-2 visa, the foreign national typically must demonstrate a lack...

18 Nov 2021

My I-140 is approved, but I am working overseas. How can I tell if my priority date is current? Do I use the dates for filing chart, or the final action chart?

Answer For I-140 petitions filed for consular processing, the dates for filing (DF) chart indicates when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center. The immigrant visa cannot be issued by the consulate until one's priority date...

11 Nov 2021

I filed an EB3 downgrade case, and my I-485 is still pending. I read online that, if my EB2 case becomes current and my I-140 was filed as a new petition rather than as an amendment, the USCIS will automatically adjudicate my case as EB2. Is that correct?

Answer We had a similar question several weeks ago, and our response may not have been sufficiently nuanced. Our general recommendation is that, if an EB3 downgrade case has been filed and later the individual wishes to return to EB2, some action should be taken. For...

04 Nov 2021

My I-485 was approved at the end of October. However, my wife’s I-485 is still pending, and the cutoff date has now retrogressed before my priority date. Can I sponsor her for a family-based green card? Do I have to wait a certain amount of time after getting my GC before I can sponsor someone?

Answer There is no set amount of time a lawful permanent resident must wait to sponsor a qualifying family member for a green card. Further, the fact that she has a pending employment-based green card case does not prevent her from also being sponsored for a...

21 Oct 2021

In October 2020, I filed an I-140 EB2-to-EB3 downgrade case, along with my I-485 application. Now, it looks like the EB2 India cutoff date may advance past the EB3 cutoff date. If that happens, will the USCIS automatically adjudicate my case as an EB2 case?

Answer No. If the I-485 was filed based on the EB3 I-140, the USCIS normally would continue to process it as an EB3 case. In order to have the case processed under the EB2 category, one option may be to interfile the previously approved I-140 to...