The sponsorship of temporary, nonimmigrant work visas and U.S. permanent residence can be a tremendous lure for U.S. employers to attract and retain foreign talent— but it comes with a large price tag. Is a U.S. employer...more
The Department of State has confirmed that the annual limit for the EB-1 immigrant visa category has been reached for FY2024. Accordingly, no immigrant visas or green cards will be issued for the remainder of the fiscal year,...more
On April 1, 2024, the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fee schedule took effect. The fee schedule has been modified since publication, which can make determining the appropriate fee challenging....more
The Department of State released the September 2024 Visa Bulletin. USCIS will continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the Final Action Dates chart. Most Employment-Based Categories will...more
As warned by the U.S. Department of State last month, the September 2024 Visa Bulletin shows major retrogression in EB-3 categories, and no advancement in any listed category....more
The June 2024 Visa Bulletin shows no forward movement in employment-based preference categories, but retrogression could occur soon, according to the U.S. Department of State....more
The U.S. Department of State recently released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin. The bulletin does not show any movement from last month for most employment-based preference categories....more
The Department of State released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin. USCIS will continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the Final Action Dates chart. Most Employment-Based Categories will hold...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the Final Action Dates chart for the April 2024 Visa Bulletin....more
The Department of State released the April 2024 Visa Bulletin. USCIS will continue to accept employment-based Adjustment of Status applications based on the Final Action Dates chart. Most employment-based categories will...more
The March 2024 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State and shows little movement from last month....more
Each month, federal immigration authorities publish a list of dates informing immigrant visa applicants when they should expect to be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to government officials. This...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its policy manual to clarify the circumstances under which the agency, in its discretion, may forgive a failure to timely file a nonimmigrant extension of stay or...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State have not indicated significant advancement in the priority dates for employer-based immigrant petitions, continuing the fiscal year (FY) 2024...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State have significant volumes of adjustment of status and immigrant visa applications in their inventories, limiting the supply of available...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the expansion of the online myProgress tool to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and Form I-821, Application for...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will use the Dates for Filing Chart in December 2023. The US Department of State Visa Bulletin for December 2023 reflects no advancement in priority date cutoff dates in the...more
In an effort to address the ongoing Employment Authorization Document (more commonly known as an “EAD”) processing backlog, USCIS recently announced it would lengthen the maximum validity period for certain EAD categories to...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued helpful guidance (available here and here) on how to apply for employment authorization documents based on compelling circumstances. When a foreign national applies...more