In this blog post, we provide new insights recently shared by Charlie Oppenheim, the former Chief of Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting at the U.S. Department of State, who oversaw the monthly publication of the Visa Bulletin until his retirement in 2022. In a recent Chatting with Charlie webinar, he…
Articles Posted in I-130
Your Guide to the February 2024 Visa Bulletin
The February 2024 Visa Bulletin was recently published by the Department of State. While the Dates for Filing Chart remains unchanged from the previous month, the Final Action Dates Chart shows some modest advancements in some of the employment-based preference categories, specifically EB-1 worldwide continues to be current, EB-2 Worldwide will…
The January 2024 Visa Bulletin is finally here: What You Need to Know
The January 2024 Visa Bulletin is finally here, and with it some big advancements for the employment-based preference categories in the New Year, specifically for India and China, and some promising forward movement in the Final Action Dates for EB-2 Worldwide and EB-3 Professional/Skilled Workers Worldwide. For family-sponsored categories, the…
USCIS Launches New Online Change of Address Tool for those with USCIS Online Accounts
Did you know that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a new online change of address self-service tool? This new tool known as “Enterprise Change of Address” (E-COA) is a one-stop shop where most individuals with a USCIS online account can update their mailing and physical address…
DHS Announces Family Reunification Parole Process for Ecuador
A new family reunification parole process has been launched, this time for qualifying nationals of Ecuador. Who is eligible? Nationals of Ecuador petitioned by family members who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and who have received approval on Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to join their family…
DHS Announces Modernization of Cuban and Haitian Family Reunification Parole
We start the week with great news for Cuban and Haitian nationals. On August 10, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced new publications in the Federal Register introducing changes to the Cuban and Haitian Family Reunification Parole processes. The FRP program allows eligible Cuban and Haitian nationals to seek…
Your Guide to the September 2023 Visa Bulletin
In this blog post, we summarize the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories of the September Visa Bulletin. This information will be helpful to those applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate overseas, and those applying for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the United…
What’s New in Immigration: DHS Announces Family Reunification Parole Program for Immigrant Beneficiaries from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
This past week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the implementation of a new Family Reunification Parole (FRP) program for foreign nationals of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, that falls in line with previous governmental policies aimed at reducing unlawful migration. The program will benefit nationals of such…
July Visa Bulletin: Big Advancements for Family Sponsored Categories, and EB-3 Retrogressions
It’s that time of the month again. Time to share the latest trends and projections of the July Visa Bulletin! To help you prepare for your upcoming immigrant visa or green card filing, in this blog post, we share what you can expect to see in the upcoming month’s visa bulletin…
UPDATE: USCIS Extends Comment Period to the Proposed Rule Increasing USCIS Filing Fees until March 13, 2023
In this blog post, we give you an update on the status of the proposed rule increasing the filing fees for certain applications and petitions filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). As you may remember, on January 4, 2023, USCIS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking…