Adjustment of Status
It appears that USCIS is preparing to release a new rule by June, 2018 to remove the provision that allows certain H-4 spouses of H-1B visa holders to apply for work authorization. If you have been following this issue, you know that the new administration has been looking at revoking
Immigration
USCIS Now Accepting Credit Cards for Most Filings USCIS has issued a new form G-1450 that will allow people to pay for form filing fees via credit card directly with USCIS. This form is available for all applications filed at lockbox facilities. It cannot be used for filings at local
Immigration
In the last year, USCIS has certainly increased its scrutiny on all cases, especially on H-1B cases.One tact that USICS has taken is to insist that, if an employer has used a Level 1 wage, then, without any further review of the position, USCIS can assume that it is
AAO
According to the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association, USCIS is changing the process for making InfoPass Appointments. According to their press release: Once the new pilot program is implemented, in order to schedule an InfoPass appointment at one of the above listed USCIS field offices, stakeholders will first need to
Adjustment of Status
Charlie Oppenheim has released some more information on how he sees immigrant visa usage heading this year. Overall his predictions are largely positive, with forward movement predicted in most categories. However, it should be noted that the new USCIS policy requiring transfer of employment-based I-485s to field offices for interview
Adjustment of Status
USCIS has released the February 2018 Visa Bulletin. While there is certainly some movement forward, the guidance given by Mr. Oppenheim last month is still in effect and has not changed. Relevant changes are listed below. Employment Based Immigrant Visas: EB-1A: Still current for all Countries EB-2: Current for Worldwide.
Adjustment of Status
There have been some movements on the immigrant visa front, and some setbacks. Below is an update on where things are and where they may be going. Employment Based Immigration Visas: EB-1: Current across the Board for now, however according to Charlie, India and China may backlog by summer. EB-2:
Immigration
Beginning on October 2, 2017, USCIS started sending out interview notices for I-140 based adjustment of status applications. As of that date, all I-140 Adjustment of Status applications filed after March 6, 2017 will be subject to interviews. In case you were unaware, March 6, 2017 is the date the
Adjustment of Status
Charlie Oppenheim recently released a new update on possible movement of various visa categories. While for the most part there are no surprises, it is good to review what he says on your particular category to ensure you are not surprised in future months. However, overall, it was a short
Executive Orders
Many of you may know that USCIS has had a policy in place that allowed those filing an application to renew their status (H-1B, L-1, E-1, etc.) to file a ‘bare bones’ application - an application with just new information and none of the initial documentation sent in with the
Adjustment of Status
The Department of State released the November 2017 visa bulletin. This bulletin includes some modest forward movement in most categories. Family Based Immigrant Visa Numbers USCIS has allowed people to base the filing of the Adjustment of Status applications on the Dates for Filing. However those dates have not changes
Adjustment of Status
Re cently USCIS issued a new rule stating that all employment based green card applications will be subject to interview starting on October 3, 2017. Just this week AILA members and the Ombudsperson for USCIS had a Stakeholder Call to discuss the new rule. Here are the details that came