Tag: immigrant visa

On April 30, 2021, U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced U.S. embassies and consulates are using a tiered approach to triage immigrant visa applications as DOS works to reduce the backlog of such applications resulting from travel restrictions and operational constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The tiered approach focuses on family reunification, prioritizing immediate relative […]

On December 31, 2020, the Trump Administration issued a presidential proclamation, Proclamation on Suspension of Entry of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Who Continue to Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market, extending the ban of entry for certain nonimmigrant and immigrant visas as provided for in the April 22, 2020 and June 22, 2020 proclamations.   President Trump’s […]

Every fiscal year, approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are made available to qualified applicants under the provisions of US immigration law. Employment based immigrant visas are divided into five preference categories. These five preference categories include priority workers and persons with extraordinary ability, professionals holding advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability, skilled workers, professionals, […]

Whether you are pursuing a marriage based green card, immigrating for your work, or being sponsored by a family member, obtaining a visa to enter the United States can be a time-consuming, stressful, and frustrating process. Every step of the way...

A foreign national living abroad will typically start the family-based or marriage-based green card process by filing a Form I-130 petition with United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). This petition will typically pend for about 6-12 months (subject to change) before an approval is issued. Once this petition is approved by USCIS, the application […]

In a recent August 2018 statement, the U.S. Department of State indicated that there will be significant delays in the processing time for visas in the EB-1 category. This is the first time in recent memory that such a delay has impacted EB-1s. DOS has now reported that “limited, if any movement can be expected […]

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a foreign national can be found inadmissible to the United States for both a nonimmigrant and immigrant visa for a number of reasons, one reason being that you are likely to become a public charge. If a consular officer believes an applicant is likely to become “primarily dependent […]

The United States is currently building a new Embassy in the Nine Elms area of London. Back in 2008, U.S. officials began playing with the idea of renovating the current U.S. Embassy building on Grosvenor Square to accommodate the various needs and threats of the 21st century. As it stood, the Embassy was outdated. It […]

In November of 2016, the Department of Homeland Security released the final text of the rule seeking to improve certain aspects of the employment-based immigration system. The new rule seeks to implement certain changes to the nonimmigrant and immigrant visas in order to better allow U.S. employers to retain foreign workers. This rule also provides […]

In October, the Department of State (DOS) asked the National Visa Center (NVC) to report the totals of applicants on the waiting list in the various numerically-limited immigrant categories. Applications for adjustment of status which are pending at USCIS offices are not included in the tabulation of the immigrant waiting list data which is provided […]