Today, the USCIS announced new procedures for re-scheduling biometric appointments. They reminded everyone that if you do not attend your scheduled appointment or re-schedule in advance by proving good cause, that your underlying application will be considered abandoned. For I-485 applicants, we do not recommend traveling internationally until after your biometrics have been taken to… Continue reading Update on Biometric Appts
Category: Green Cards
Canadian Border News
The Canadian government announced that it will re-open its border on Aug 9th to fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents and if conditions remain favorable, on Sept. 7th, to others. For employers operating in both the US and Canada, this is welcome news. For those looking to obtain new or extend TN visas and… Continue reading Canadian Border News
Agency in Meltdown ?
The Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman office recently released the 2021 Annual Report and to characterize the Agency as overwhelmed, underfunded and in chaos would be kind. There are over 1.3 million applicants waiting for biometric appointments and a total of over 7 million applications and petitions awaiting adjudication. The most immediate concern is the… Continue reading Agency in Meltdown ?
August Visa Bulletin
Earlier this week, the Department of State (DOS) released the August Visa Bulletin. After seeing such positive forward movement in June and July, it was disappointing as India EB2 and China EB3 did not move or only moved a week. However, China EB2 and India EB3 both moved forward several months. All other categories remained… Continue reading August Visa Bulletin
July Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the July Visa Bulletin and as expected, there was significant forward movement in the India and China retrogressed categories. India EB3 saw the biggest forward movement of over a year but, both India EB2 and China EB2 moved forward approx. 7 months. All other categories remained current. The… Continue reading July Visa Bulletin
U.S. Supreme Court Rules in TPS Case
In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that persons on TPS who entered the U.S. illegally are not eligible to file an I-485 and adjust status. In what I think was an easy decision and a correct interpretation of the law, the Court ruled that having a lawful status now i.e. TPS… Continue reading U.S. Supreme Court Rules in TPS Case
June Visa Bulletin
The Department of State has released the June Visa Bulletin and the Final Action Dates chart showed significant forward movement specifically for India EB3 which jumped almost 9 mos. India EB2 and China EB2 and EB3 also saw forward movement of several months. All other categories and countries remained “current” The Dates for Filing chart… Continue reading June Visa Bulletin
May Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the May Visa Bulletin and the Final Action Dates chart showed steady movement forward for both EB2 and EB3 categories for the retrogressed countries of China and India. India EB3 jumped the most; 5 months. All other countries remained current. The USCIS announced that for May, it would… Continue reading May Visa Bulletin
HNM Attorneys Publish Article in Law360 !
HNM attorneys Anita Smalley and Douglas Halpert have published an article on meeting the ability to pay requirement in the I-140 context.
April Visa Bulletin Plus :)
The Department of State has released the April Visa Bulletin and the Final Action Date chart continued to show steady forward movement across all categories and countries with established cut-off dates. All EB1 countries moved to current and both India and China EB2 and EB3 categories saw jumps of several months. The USCIS has yet… Continue reading April Visa Bulletin Plus 🙂
Public Charge Rule Dies
The USCIS has announced that they will no longer apply the Public Charge Rule introduced by the Trump Administration but, will revert back to the rule that was in effect prior to October of 2019. A summary of the rule that will now be applied can be found here. As a practical matter, this means… Continue reading Public Charge Rule Dies