On May 8, 2024, the U.S. State Department posted the June 2024 visa bulletin. The Dates for Filing Chart for June 2024, as shown below, is more favorable than the Final Action Dates Chart. The Dates for Filing chart for June 2024 only applies to those who are consular processing outside the United States.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new system for noncitizens applying for naturalization to request an original or replacement Social Security number and card. The system will allow applicants to request a new or replacement Social Security card when filing for naturalization on Form N-400, rather than having to apply at the local
On Jan. 4, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposed rule that would increase immigration fees. USCIS calls these “modest” increases, but the proposed fee increases are substantial, including a 70% increase for H-1B petitions (from $460 to $780); a 201% increase for L-1 petitions (from $460 to $1,325); and a 201%
On Nov. 3, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) announced in a temporary final rule that they expect to make available 64,716 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year (FY) 2024. This is in addition to the current allotment of 66,000 H-2B visas. These additional visas would
As we reported in August 2023, the temporary increase of 540 days to the automatic extension period for employment authorization and employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain renewal applicants expired Oct. 26, 2023. Currently, certain applicants with a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, will qualify for 180-day extensions. The good news is, as
The global demand for non-immigrant U.S. visas skyrocketed during the COVID-19 health emergency, when travel was halted and U.S. embassies and consulates closed. Even after reopening, U.S. embassies and consulates are still reporting significant delays in many locations including Brazil, India, Mexico, and others. More recently, the U.S. State Department announced that new processing initiatives, including
To advance the safe resumption of global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, on Oct. 25 President Biden issued a Proclamation emphasizing the continued enhanced measures against the spread of the virus. The Proclamation quotes data indicating that the most effective way to control the spread amongst international travelers is to get vaccinated, in addition to
In the EB-1 category, the Dates of Filing is now current for all countries of chargeability except for China and India. For November, USCIS allowed I-485 filings based on Dates of Filing rather than Final Action dates; however, EB-1 was retrogressed for all categories, allowing only certain applicants to file. USCIS has not issued the