For some time, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has been taking steps to reduce the processing times for "stand alone" I-130 petitions filed on behalf of immediate relatives - that is, family-based cases filed for the parent, spouse, or (unmarried, minor) child of...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced major changes to immigrant and nonimmigrant visa fees charged to applicants for visa "stamps" at U.S. embassies and consulates. The new fee structure took effect on September 12, 2014, and the DOS has provided instructions for those with pending...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2014 Visa Bulletin. The employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for Indian nationals continues to move forward, but is expected to retrogress in the coming months. Cutoff dates for the family-based, second preference "A" category advance across the...
This morning, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2014 Visa Bulletin. Effective September 1st, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) India category will advance to May 1, 2009. The family-based, second preference "A" (FB2A) category, for spouses and (unmarried, minor) children of lawful permanent...
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has announced that it will now begin to issue a report each month intended to provide reliable predictions and analysis regarding the movement of cutoff dates in the visa bulletin. These reports will be based on discussions with Charles...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Immigration Statistics, recently reported that over 990,000 foreign nationals were granted U.S. permanent residence ("green card" status) in fiscal year (FY) 2013. These individuals, their respective countries of origin, and avenues to permanent resident status provide...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided instructions regarding the process for renewing enrollment in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA provides temporary immigration relief to eligible undocumented foreign nationals who entered the United States as children. Beneficiaries of the program...
The United States Supreme Court issued a long-awaited decision on June 9, 2014, interpreting the "automatic conversion" provision of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). Unfortunately, the Court sided with the restrictive CSPA interpretation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and overruled a more...
On June 9, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow against hopes for a favorable interpretation of family unity-related provisions within U.S. immigration law. The Court held that the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) had authority to narrowly interpret key protections offered by the...
The results of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) diversity visa (DV) lottery for fiscal year 2015 (FY15) are now available. The DV lottery is a DOS program that runs on an annual basis. Eligibility for participation is limited to people from designated countries with...
