The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually through a random selection process from countries with low rates of immigration to the...more
The National Interest Waiver (“NIW”) is a special provision within the EB-2 employment-based immigration category that allows individuals to bypass the usual labor certification process (“PERM”) required for most...more
The Department of State published the October 2023 Visa Bulletin Report on September 15, 2023 and announced that it will accept family and employment-based filings based on the Dates for Filing chart in October. As October is...more
1. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Launched Online Appointment Request Form - On August 21, USCIS launched a new online form for individuals to request in-person appointments at their local field offices....more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed the submission requirements for the new Form 9089 Application for Permanent Employment Certification, specifically for Schedule A and National...more
A recent settlement with the class action lawsuit Edakunni v. Mayorkas now requires U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to review I-539 (status) and I-765 (work) applications for spouses and minor children of H-1B...more
We previously alerted our readership in May 2022 that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was implementing premium processing for certain I-140 petitions in the EB-1 and EB-2 categories. The...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has started to offer premium processing service for certain long-pending, employment-based permanent resident petitions. Consistent with its previous announcement, USCIS is...more
Today, March 30, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule expanding premium processing for multinational managers, advanced degree holders seeking a national interest waiver, nonimmigrant...more
On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that National Interest Exceptions (NIEs) to presidential proclamations 9984, 9992, 10143 and 10199 will now be valid for 12 months from the date of approval and allow...more
While the United States has seen a drastic drop in COVID-19 cases as vaccinations become more prevalent, other countries continue to see significant infection rates. Travel restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of...more
On Friday, April 30, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that there will be new travel restrictions from India. Specifically, the United States will restrict travel from India starting Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at 12:01 a.m....more
As the COVID-19 crisis in India has worsened in recent weeks, the Biden administration decided to issue a new round of travel restrictions targeting travel from India....more
What Matters: Travel from India will be significantly limited by Presidential Proclamation effective Tuesday, May 4, 2021....more
In response to the surge in COVID-19 cases in India, the Biden-Harris administration announced on April 30 that the COVID-19-related admission bans currently in place will be expanded to include travelers from India. The ban...more
On January 25, 2021, Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10143 extended PP 9993, which had suspended certain travel from those physically present in the Schengen Area and other countries since March 2020. PP 10143 restricts entry...more
On December 27, 2016, the AAO issued a decision that modifies the standards for granting a National Interest Waiver (NIW) in Matter of Dhanasar. This decision will impact thousands of applicants seeking U.S. permanent...more