The Department of State (DOS) has released the February Visa Bulletin and the Final Action Date chart was virtually unchanged. The notable exception was further retrogression of the ROW Other Worker category which moved back 6 mos. to Jan 1, 2020. The Dates for Filing chart saw some forward movement with a big jump of… Continue reading February Visa Bulletin
Category: Green Cards
I-485 RFE’s for Medical Exams
It is being widely reported that the USCIS is issuing RFE’s in pending I-485 cases for medical exams that have already been filed. This practice is likely a Service error and advocacy organizations like AILA are working on a resolution. Our recommendation is that if your priority date is current under the Final Action Date… Continue reading I-485 RFE’s for Medical Exams
January Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the January Visa Bulletin and the best thing that can be said is that no change is better than bad change ? Virtually all dates in both the Final Action date chart and the Dates for Filing chart remained the same. The notable exception was that EB1 dates… Continue reading January Visa Bulletin
Public Charge Rule Goes into Effect
The USCIS has announced that its public charge rule will go into effect on Dec 23, 2022. This has the practical result of requiring all I-485 applications in process but, not yet filed to be re-done to use the new I-485 form version that was just released. For employment based applicants, there should be little… Continue reading Public Charge Rule Goes into Effect
DOL Processing Delays
In response to inquiries from AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) regarding the ever lengthening processing delays for PWD’s (prevailing wage determinations), the DOL provided several reasons including: higher volume, impact of increased filings for H-2b cases, and the implementation of the new SOC codes which went into effect on July 1st. With respect to the… Continue reading DOL Processing Delays
December Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the December Visa Bulletin and it was filled with bad news. The DOS indicated that EB1 will become retrogressed for India and China. As promised last month, India EB2 retrogressed by about 6 mos. A cut-off date was established for worldwide EB2 and it will likely remain for… Continue reading December Visa Bulletin
EAD Expedite for Healthcare Workers
Great news for healthcare workers ! The USCIS has updated its policy for expediting the issuance of EAD cards for healthcare workers and is now including initial requests in addition to renewals. Please see the updated policy here. If you have a pending EAD card and you are a healthcare worker, reach out to your… Continue reading EAD Expedite for Healthcare Workers
November Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) released the November Visa Bulletin and both the Final Action Date and Dates For Filing charts remained virtually unchanged. The USCIS announced that it will honor the Dates For Filing chart for November I-485 filings. An ominous note was included on the last page, as the DOS indicated that it… Continue reading November Visa Bulletin
Green Card Expiring ?
The USCIS recently announced that they will extend the validity of expiring green cards to 24 mos. from 12 mos. when a person has filed an I-90 to renew. This extension is due to major processing delays in the processing of green card renewals.
Premium Processing News
The USCIS has announced a further expansion of premium processing for certain EB1 and EB2 NIW petitions already filed and pending. Check the date of your filing to see if you are now eligible to be upgraded.
Good News for IV in FY2023
The USCIS has published an FAQ on Immigrant Visa (green card) processing which provides great insights for what to expect in FY 2023. Among the highlights are: The USCIS and DOS combined to approve approximately 280,000 Immigrant Visas in FY 2022 exhausting all available visas. Both agencies deserve commendation for the effort made this past… Continue reading Good News for IV in FY2023