The Department of State (DOS) released the August Visa Bulletin and all categories across all countries are retrogressed. Given the “use it or lose it” laws in effect relative to immigrant visa (green card) usage, summer retrogression is not unusual and actually indicates that the USCIS and DOS are working efficiently and using all of… Continue reading August Visa Bulletin
Category: US Immigration Policy
Retrogression Strikes Again
The Department of State (DOS) has released the July Visa Bulletin and many categories saw further retrogression. Most notable was the India EB3 category which moved backward by over 2 years. All other EB3 categories retrogressed by 4 months. Forward movement is not expected until the new fiscal year in October and even further retrogression… Continue reading Retrogression Strikes Again
International Nurses and Legislation
Our friend and a fellow immigration attorney, Chris Musillo recently published an update on legislative efforts to address the US nursing shortage via immigration legislation. Make sure to read the Times article cited in his blog post !
END OF COVID-19 I-9 FLEXIBILITIES
The I-9 Employment Verification ProcessU.S. employers are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals they hire using the Form I-9:• After being offered the job, on or before the first day of employment, the employee must complete Part 1 of Form I-9.• Within three business days of the start of employment, the… Continue reading END OF COVID-19 I-9 FLEXIBILITIES
PERM Filings
The OFLC delayed the use of the new ETA 9089 PERM form and the filing platform but has announced that it will go into effect as of June 1, 2023. We do not expect a further delay.
Immigration Options for Healthcare Workers
The Congressional Research Service published a report on the various immigration options for international healthcare workers.
H-1b Lottery Numbers
The USCIS has released data that shows almost 800,000 registrations were submitted in the FY 2024 lottery for the 85,000 H-1b visas available. The numbers reflect a 15% selection rate. It was revealed that over 400,000 persons submitted multiple registrations. In what may be the understatement of the year, the USCIS indicated that the numbers… Continue reading H-1b Lottery Numbers
May Visa Bulletin
The Department of State (DOS) has released the May Visa Bulletin and sadly, retrogression is widespread impacting almost all categories and all countries. Only the EB1 category was not impacted. The USCIS announced that the would only allow I-485 filings using the Final Action Date chart. Forward advancement is not expected until October. Additional retrogression… Continue reading May Visa Bulletin
Victory for H-4 EAD Holders
A Federal District Court judge ruled in favor of H-4 EAD holders ruling that an Obama era H-4 EAD rule was not issued in violation of the law.
COVID 60 Day Rule Ends
USCIS notices requiring responses such as RFE’s, NOID’s, NOIR’s, etc issued as of March 23, 2023, no longer enjoy the extra 60 days being afforded under the COVID flexibility policies that have been in place since 2020.
Canada Takes Action Is the U.S. Listening ?
At a time when the U.S. is getting ready to tell thousands of international U.S. grads that they need to leave the U.S. as a result of not being chosen in the archaic H-1b lottery, Canada has announced the extension of work permits for its body of international graduates. Given the political climate in the… Continue reading Canada Takes Action Is the U.S. Listening ?