USCIS Initial Data Entry and Receipt Notices Status
As of January 4, 2008, the USCIS has completed initial data entry and issued receipt notices for applications and petitions received on or before the dates below. California Service Center - I-130...
View ArticleUSCIS Receipts Update
The substantial forward movement in many visa categories from mid to late 2007 has resulted in a significant increase in petitions filed with the USCIS. Receipt by the foreign national of a receipt...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Immigration Applications at All-Time High, May Take Years to Clear
The USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez appeared yesterday (01/17/2008) in front of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law and in written...
View ArticleForm I-864 Affidavit of Support – Insufficient Income
Many foreign nationals who are on H-1B visa and have their spouses on H-4 visa often face the issue of insufficient income for Form I-864, Affidavit of Support purposes when filing for adjustment of...
View ArticleMarch 2008 Visa Bulletin Advances Most EB3 Numbers
The March 2008 State Department Visa Bulletin is out. The most significant development is the EB3 “worldwide” (everyone except from China, India, Mexico and the Philippines) category applicants. EB3 –...
View ArticleApril 2008 Visa Bulletin: Good News for EB2 India
The State Department just released its April 2008 Visa Bulletin and it brings some good news and relief to EB2 India applicants – the cutoff date for EB2 India has moved from “unavailable” to December...
View ArticleModified Medical Examination Form I-693 Goes Into Effect
The USCIS has announced that it has revised Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, to reflect changes to the Tuberculosis guidance by the Center for Disease and Control to...
View ArticleAytes Testimony In Front of Congress
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...
View ArticleJune 2008 Visa Bulletin – EB-3 Expected to Retrogress
The June 2008 Bulletin is out. Among the employment-based visa numbers, there is a slight forward movement in the EB-2 category for China and India, by about 3 months, from January 2004 to April 2004....
View ArticleNew Proposal Aims to End Concurrent I-140/I-485 Filing
USCIS is proposing to amend the regulations concerning the concurrent filing of employment-based I-140 and I-485 petitions as long as visa number is available to the alien beneficiary. The proposed...
View ArticleSecretary Chertoff: We Will Start Issuing 2-Year EADs
Many of our clients are complaining of the need to renew their employment authorization documents (EADS) every year while their green card adjustment of status application is pending. Given the long...
View ArticleLimited I-140 Premium Processing Resumes on June 16
We wrote earlier today about the pending announcement that USCIS is restoring the possibility of filing I-140 via premium processing. As we discussed earlier, the premium processing is limited to...
View ArticleNew Medical Exam Form I-693 Goes Into Effect
The USCIS has released a modified version of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. The most recent form is dated June 5, 2008 and previous editions will be accepted only...
View ArticleTravel Abroad on Advance Parole and Switching Employers
A very frequent two-part question we receive from current and prospective clients who are expecting visa number and have used AC21 to switch employers and are no longer with the original employer who...
View ArticleAdjustment of Status (I-485) Vaccination Requirements Changed
The USCIS has released a revised list of vaccines required for applicants seeking to adjust status to become permanent legal residents. The updated list, required for all medical exams conducted on or...
View ArticleNeufield Memo on 180-day Adjustment of Status Bar Exemption
Section 245(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows for the adjustment of status (I-485) which so many of our clients and readers are well familiar. Section 245(c) of the INA...
View ArticleUSCIS Reports on Progress Towards Processing Time Goals
The USCIS has released a chart describing its progress towards meeting the fiscal year (FY) 2008 and FY 2009 processing time goals. Attached is a PDF of the chart with a couple of annotations...
View ArticleGAO Report on Green Card Applications Security Review
The Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) has published a report, “Actions Needed to Address Vulnerabilities in Process for Granting Permanent Residency” which reviews the process of security review...
View ArticleFebruary 2009 Visa Bulletin – Some Forward Movement
The February 2009 Visa Bulletin is out. It brings some good forward movement for some employment-based categories. Unfortunately, EB-3 ROW and EB-3 India remain unchanged. EB-2 ROW remains current....
View ArticleAC21 – Should I invoke it and, if so, when?
The American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21) permits an individual to transfer, or “port”, his or her green card process to a different employer if (1) the new job is the “same or...
View Article
