On December 9, 2024, The Department of State issued two major revisions to its Exchange Visitor Skills list resulting in reducing the number of countries on the Exchange Visitor Skills List by almost half. Countries such as...more
On Monday, September 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of State (DOS), working in close collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced publicly that all available immigrant visas in the...more
A recent update and clarification from the Department of State (DOS) on waiver eligibility expands opportunities for visa applicants facing difficulties in obtaining visa stamps for entry to the U.S. This clarification,...more
In a 6-3 ruling in U.S. Department of State et al v. Munoz et al (Case Number 23-334), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) reaffirmed the doctrine of consular nonreviewability ruling against a U.S. citizen’s...more
Over the past several months, the Department of State (DOS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have announced additional backlogs in the permanent residence (Green Card) quota system. These additional backlogs have...more
The U.S. State Department and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced several significant updates relating to the 2025 Diversity Lottery Program and the Temporary Protected Status extension...more
At the beginning of each federal fiscal year (October), the Department of State conducts a lottery called the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. If a person is selected, they are eligible to submit an application for permanent...more
The Immigration and Nationality Act delegates authority to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to decide whether to parole a foreign person into the United States. Parole is a discretionary remedy decided on a...more
The U.S. Department of State anticipates that by July 1, 2023, all prorated employment-based third preference (EB-3) visa numbers available for Indian applicants in fiscal year (FY) 2023 will be exhausted; however, on October...more
J-1 exchange visitors who received graduate medical education or training in the U.S. are subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). This...more
On May 18, 2021, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated its interpretation of the requirements for acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth as provided by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). ...more
The U.S. Department of State recently released its October 2020 Visa Bulletin reflecting an all-time high allocation of approximately 261,500 employment-based immigrant visas and signaling an unusually quick advancement of...more
President Trump signs law authorizing sanctions on individuals and financial institutions and ends U.S. preferential treatment for Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Autonomy Act authorizes sanctions on foreign financial...more
Can you imagine needing a life-saving transplant and then having a family member, who is an exact donor match, denied entry into the U.S. for a medical procedure that could save your life? Or being denied your dying wish to...more
Change is a constant in immigration visa adjudications and drastic changes can be implemented from one day to the next without much, if any, notice. For example, the reciprocity fees for the nonimmigrant visas for Australian...more
USCIS Announces Implementation of Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool - After several months of vetting public commentary, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will roll out its H-1B electronic...more
Yesterday July 11, 2019, the Department of State (DOS) disappointed a lot of people when it published its August, 2019 Visa Bulletin. In this most recent Visa Bulletin, DOS announced that the 2nd and 3rd preference...more
Key Cases - Establishment Challenge to Presidential Proclamation Subject to Rational Basis Review - In Trump v. Hawaii, 138 S.Ct. 2392 (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the lowest level of constitutional...more
On March 17, 2017, the Department of State (“DOS”), through the Secretary of State, issued a cable to all US consulates and embassies with guidance on enhanced screening and vetting of applications for US visas and other...more
I. DOS Announces 2018 Diversity Lottery - The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) just released its instructions for the DV-2018 Diversity Visa (DV-2018) lottery. The registration period begins on Tuesday, October 4,...more
Action Item: The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”), in coordination with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), has announced that it has revised “the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants...more
The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) and the Department of State (“DOS”) have exercised their shared authority and collaborated in the development of a policy expanding the definitions of “mother” and...more