The January 2009 Visa Bulletin is out. As expected and unfortunately, the forward movement in the employment-based category is very small. EB-2 India has moved a month forward from June 2001 to July 2001. EB-2 China has moved from June 2004 to July 2003. EB-3 India has moved by only 15 days - from October 1, 2001 [...]
The Texas Service Center (TSC) has introduced a new email procedure that which is available to attorneys who are AILA members and allows the Texas Service Center to identify I-485s and I-140s which have remained pending beyond TSC processing times posted on USCIS’S website. According to the new procedure, which is effective immediately, I-485s are subject [...]
The November 2008 Visa Bulletin is out. There are no surprises, although for many foreign nationals, who have an employment-based petition filed and pending, the update would not bring much joy. If we could sum the results of the November 2008 Visa Bulletin, it would be “slow forward movement.” According to the State Department (which is [...]
Mark your calendars - the DV-2010 lottery (green card lottery) dates have been announced - online applications for the lottery must be submitted between Noon EDT on October 2, 2008 and Noon EST on December 1, 2008. Although information and instructions have not been posted yet, they should be posted shortly on the Department of State [...]
The September 2008 Visa Bulletin has been released by the Department of State. It brings a mix of good and bad news. The good news for EB-2 applicants from India and China continues this month as well - the dates for EB-2 India and EB-2 China moved by two months, from June 1, 2006, to August [...]
The Department of State rule, known as the "automatic revalidation" of visas is a rule which allows holders of almost all classes of U.S. visas to travel to a "contiguous territory" and return to the U.S. without a current valid stamp in the passport. Persons in F, J, H and O status can travel to Canada or Mexico and return to the U.S. without a valid visa stamp. Persons in F and J status can, in addition to Mexico and Canada, visit the "adjacent islands" (Caribbean islands except Cuba) and return to the U.S. without a valid visa stamp in their passport. Please read the entire article for more details on the automatic visa revalidation program.
The August 2008 Visa Bulletin is about to be released and we have reliable (based on past experience) information that EB-2 India will move forward by more than two years - from April 2004 to June 2006. This is excellent news for applicants in the EB-2 India category. Stay tuned as we wil update this post with more information as the official State Department Visa Bulletin is distributed.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has commented on the program announced recently by USCIS which aims to pre-register all travelers to the U.S. coming from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries. We wrote extensively about the program earlier in June. Under the new program, which is optional until January, when it becomes mandatory for all of VWP travelers from 27 countries, all travelers to the U.S. must pre-register before traveling to the U.S. through an online system by entering personal information such as passport number, intended dates of travel, etc. If the system rejects the pre-registration, the traveler must apply for a visa at the U.S. consulate. Please read the rest of the article on details about the anticipated visa processing backlogs.
USCIS just announced a couple of significant enhancements to the E-Verify program which should increase its accuracy and appeal to employers. One of the main concerns of E-Verify is that a fair number of legitimately authorized workers receive a non-confirmation which has consequences, ranging from embarrassment to potentially losing their employment. Please read the full article for details on the E-Verify enhancements.
The House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugess, Border Security and International Law held a hearing yesterday, April 30, 2008, on the topic of "Wasted Visas, Growing Backlogs." Michael Yates from USCIS and Stephen Edson from the State Department testified in front of the Committee. Please read the full article on details of their testimony.