Many of our clients and readers are already aware of the move by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service ("USCIS") to issue what are hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of very similar, if not identical, requests for evidence ("RFE") on pending employment-based primary and derivative Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status. Most of the RFEs were [...]
Many of our clients and readers (especially those who have family-based immigrant visa cases) are aware that a family-based Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status, required an interview to be conducted at a local (to the applicant) service center. The requirement for these interviews is set under 8 CFR §245.6 which also indicates that interviews [...]
After the July 2013 Visa Bulletin was issued a few days ago, many of our clients and readers are anxious to get a sense of what we should expect for the remainder of the 2013 Fiscal Year (ends on September 30, 2013). As a result, we would like to share the Department of State (the [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the July 2013 Visa Bulletin which is the tenth Visa Bulletin for the FY2013 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of movement (again) in EB-2 India and the very significant forward movement in the EB-3 category for most countries (with [...]
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is reporting a possible disruption of visa services at U.S. Embassy in Turkey. The Embassy stated that because of protests and riots throughout the country, visa services for non-U.S. citizens may be disrupted with little to no notice in the coming days.
Our office reported on the new automated I-94 system launched by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on April 30, 2013. The change implemented at air and sea ports of entry applies to most foreign travelers entering the United States and the travelers now receive a stamp in their passport rather than a paper [...]
AC21 has offered much needed relief to many immigrants in the past, and is even more critical now when hundreds of thousands of people filed I-485 Adjustment of Status applications, but are facing severe visa retrogression for the coming years. AC21 makes it possible to start a new job and career when needed or desired, [...]
Last week, the Homeland Security Department has ordered U.S. border agents, "effective immediately", to verify that every international student who arrives in the US has a valid student visa, according to an internal memorandum obtained by the Associated Press. This decision came after it was discovered that a friend of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar [...]
In today’s shrinking world, where international travel is nearly as common as domestic travel, lawful permanent residents often find themselves defending their status at ports of entry. This FREE webinar will cover the steps that LPRs must take both to maintain their permanent residence and to preserve continuous residence for naturalization purposes. It will also [...]
On May 8, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) released a summary and assessment of efforts taken during the first year of its Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) initiative. Launched in February 2012 in Silicon Valley, the EIR initiative brought together startup experts and USCIS immigration experts to work collaboratively to streamline pathways for a [...]