New changes are being implemented for certain self-petitioners filing immigration petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, also known as VAWA. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that beginning in December they will be conducting in-person interviews for select VAWA self-petitioners who have an I-360 and I-485…
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What’s New in Immigration: USCIS Announces that Form I-693, Medical Examination Must be Submitted with Adjustment of Status Green Card Application
Wondering what’s new in immigration? We have some bad news for adjustment of status applicants filing a green card inside the United States. Effective immediately, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will now require adjustment of status applicants filing Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status…
DOS Announces Extension of Interview Waiver for Certain Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
In the nick of time, on December 21, 2023, the Department of State announced that it will continue its interview waiver policy for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. The agency’s interview waiver policy was previously set to expire on December 31, 2023. However, its implementation will continue starting on January 1,…
USCIS Modernizes Approach to Managing Form I-526 Petition Inventory
In this blog post, we close out the week with some great news that may be of interest to EB-5 Immigrant Investors. On Tuesday July 18th the U.S. Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced new changes to the processing of Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, for EB-5 investment…
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…
Department of State Vows to Decrease Administrative Processing, but is it an Empty Promise?
The Department of State raised eyebrows earlier this month when it released information that it will be reducing the waiting period for 221(G) “administrative processing,” in an effort to process visas more efficiently. While this is welcome news, in practice it may not mean much. Consulates and Embassies have been…
Your Guide to the May 2023 Visa Bulletin
It’s that time of the month again. The Department of State has released the May 2023 Visa Bulletin, giving you the latest updates on visa availability for family-sponsored and employment-based preference categories. To help you prepare for your upcoming immigrant visa or green card filing, we share what you can…
Immigration Roundup for the Week: USCIS Removes 60-day Rule for Civil Surgeon Signatures on Form I-693 Medical Examination for Green Card Applicants, New Filing Address for Courier Delivery to USCIS Phoenix Lockbox
In this blog post, we share with you the latest news in the world of immigration. Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has removed the 60-day rule for civil surgeon signatures on Form I-693 Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, also known as…
AILA Meeting with State Department Representatives: Q & A
In this blog post, we share with you new information provided by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Department of State Liaison Committee following a meeting with the National Visa Center (NVC) addressing some common issues of concern for immigrant visa applicants waiting for their visas to be processed at…
The March 2023 Visa Bulletin Is Here! What You Need to Know
The U.S. Department of State has released its March 2023 Visa Bulletin. To help you prepare for your upcoming immigrant visa or green card filing, we share what you can expect to see in the employment based and family preference categories for the month of March. What is the Visa…