Immigration Updates

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com Looking at many news headlines these days about the economy can make you feel confused? You’re not alone in feeling this way, especially when it comes to the U.S. job market right now. We’re seeing some interesting shifts, and a big part of the puzzle might be hiding in plain sight: immigration. For a long time, we’ve relied on key numbers like the…

USCIS routinly releases approval and denial rates for various application types. Looking at the self-sponsored applications (Extraordinary Ability (EA) and National Interest Waiver (NIW) those rates changed drastically over the last year. For the entire 2024 Fiscal Year (October 1, 2023-September 30, 2024) the following are the rates for these applications: Case TypeTotal Number of…

Many people are concerned these days about going to their immigration interviews. Concerned they may be arrested, deported, etc. Well, a recent practice alert from the American Immigration Lawyers Association discusses what is happening. It states: Reports by AILA members and in the media indicate an increase in ICE arrests at USCIS field offices at scheduled immigration benefit interviews,…

Passport – Australian, Esma Banner, 1945 by Photographer: Jon Augier is licensed under CC-PDM 1.0 According to a recent meeting between AILA and the Department of State in which Visa revocations by the consular posts was discussed. During this discussion the DOS indicated the following: In general, DOS issues NIVs with multiple entries for an extended period of time; every single visa holder is…

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com As you may know the President recently re-implemented a little known, and unused provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act — alien registration. Understanding whether you’re already registered and the steps you need to take if you’re not is crucial for compliance with U.S. immigration laws. Are You Already Registered? The first step in this…

As announced today by USCIS, the registration period for the 2026 H-1B lottery will open at Noon, March 7, 2025. It will run through Noon, March 24, 2025. An employer wishing to sponsor an employee will need to file a registration during this time to be entered into the lottery. If selected, the Employer will be able to file an H-1B for the employee with a start date of October 1, 2025. Is…

Recent developments under President Donald Trump’s administration suggest potential delays and challenges in the H-1B visa processing system, which could significantly affect employers and visa applicants alike. Impact of Trump’s Buyout on USCIS President Trump’s recent executive orders and buyout offers to federal employees could slow down the processing of H-1B visas. While the buyout excludes…

Just this week, the Department of State released its June 2024 visa bulletin. First, there has been no change in the Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing: The final Action Date is still January 15, 2023, and the Dates for Filing are still February 15, 2023. Unfortunately, the DOS also indicated as follows towards the bottom of the bulletin in the section in which they give a glimpse of the…

The H-1B Cap Filing season will reopen in March of this year with some significant changes. The USCIS is introducing organizational accounts and adjusting how the lottery is conducted to ensure fairness. A. Organizational Accounts For both non-cap filings and the fiscal year 2025 H-1B cap season, USCIS will introduce organizational accounts. These accounts will enable multiple individuals…

In a follow-up to our previous blog post, the White House is currently reviewing a rule to update visa application fees for the first time since 2016. The implications of this increase, particularly for companies seeking to sponsor workers for employment-based visas, are significant and deserve a closer look. Draft regulations released last year proposed an across-the-board fee increase of 40%.…

Introduction: Immigration has been a longstanding pillar of the United States, shaping the nation’s identity and contributing significantly to its economic growth. While debates around immigration policy can be divisive, recent articles highlight the positive effects that immigrants have on the US economy. From driving innovation to filling critical labor gaps, immigrants bring unique skills,…

The USCIS Stabilization Act, passed on October 1, 2020 established the current premium processing fees and the authority for the Department of Homeland Security to adjust the premium fees on a biennial basis. While USCIS has not used this authority to change the new Premium Processing fees after they were introduced after that date, USCIS has decided that now is the time to increase those…

The Department of State released the new Visa Bulletin for January 2024 just yesterday.  This blog post will try to provide a summary of any movement in this bulletin of relevance. Before getting to the summary of the current bulletin, here is a little bit about what the Visa Bulletin is and the information it contains. Every person who becomes a permanent resident in the US is given an…

The Visa Bulletin is like a monthly newsletter for immigrant visas. It tells us whether family and employment-based categories are current or backlogged. The Department of State (DOS) and USCIS team up to publish it every month. It’s has two charts: the Final Action Chart (shows priority dates that are current and available) and the Dates for Filing Chart (shows priority dates expected to become…

Below is a recap of what the October 2023  visa bulleting showed in terms of movement in all categories.  It should be noted that this is the first visa bulletin for the new 2024 fiscal year. A.  FINAL ACTION DATES AND DATES FOR FILING FOR FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCE CASES Family based cases really held fairly steady this month.  While there may have been a little movement forward in some…

Florida has enacted two new anti-immigration bills in the last couple of weeks – Senate Bill 264 and Senate Bill 1718.  In summary, Senate Bill 264 says the following: – Mandates that a foreign principal may not directly or indirectly own, have a controlling interest in, or acquire agricultural land or any interest in such land, or in real property on or within 10 miles of any military…

DOS released the March 2023 Visa Bulletin a couple days ago and has indicated that new possible backlogs could be down the road and also appeared to remove some possible backlogs as well. First, last month the Department of State indicated that the Family Based 2A category (spouses and minor children of Permanent Residents) had the possibility of backlogging as soon as this month. Well, this…