USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests Through March 2023

February 3, 2023

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is extending certain COVID-19-related flexibilities through March 23, 2023. The flexibilities, which were initially scheduled to expire on January 24, 2023 were previously extended in March and October 2022 are to assist applicants, petitioners and requestors in being allocated additional time to

USCIS Extends Green Card Validity To 48 Months For EB-5 Investors And Married Conditional Permanent Residents

February 1, 2023

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is extending the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as “Green Cards”) for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status for 48 months

The Public Charge Rule – A Summary from the American Immigration Lawyers Association

January 30, 2023

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Fees to Increase for Investors and Regional Centers

January 12, 2023

The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published a Notice of Proposed Rule-Making (“NPRM”) to adjust fees for various immigration benefits provided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). Included in the NPRM are proposed fees for many forms used under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program (“EB-5 Program.”). Fees

EB-5 “Promoters” and “Migration Agents” Now Required to Register with USCIS

January 10, 2023

On January 4, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published Form I-956K, Registration for Direct and Third-Party Promoters which is now required to be completed and filed by any person or company that is acting as a direct or third-party promoter or migration agent (a “Promoter”) of: A

U.S. Center for Disease Control to Require COVID Testing for Passengers from China

December 30, 2022

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) has announced that it will implement a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery for air passengers boarding flights to the United States originating from the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and

USCIS Updates its Policy to Automatically Extend Green Cards for Naturalization Applicants

December 15, 2022

Effective December 12, 2022, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) updated the USCIS Policy Manual to allow it to automatically extend the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (commonly called “Green Cards”) for lawful permanent residents who have applied for naturalization to become U.S. citizens. This update is expected to

David Enterline Speaks at EB-5 Seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in November 2022

December 12, 2022

David Enterline was again invited by American Venture Solutions Regional Center (AVS) to speak at its latest seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on November 20, 2022. Mr. Enterline discussed the provisions of EB-5 law as a result of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 that was

Changing Immigrant and K-1 Visa Processing Venues for LGBT Applicants

December 5, 2022

The United States Department of State (“DOS”) in coordination with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Department of State Liaison Committee (“AILA DOS Liaison”) recently published an advisory on changing venues for immigrant and K-1 visa processing for LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender) applicants. Since the United States Supreme Court issued

Petition and Application Filing Tips from USCIS

November 22, 2022

Are you considering filing a petition or application for a U.S. visa or immigration benefit? These tips may help. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) updated its website with Recommendations for Paper Filings to Avoid Scanning Delays. Published on November 16, 2022, these filing tips are very useful

March Visa Bulletin Sees Great Leap Forward for Chinese EB-5 Investors

February 25, 2020

The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) March visa bulletin is out and in a big surprise, the Final Action Date priority date [link to article] for Chinese EB-5 investors leaped forward by 5 months, from December 1, 2014 in February to May 15, 2015. We are looking forward to reading

Enterline and Partners to Speak at Regional Conference

February 21, 2020

Ryan Barshop and David Enterline of Enterline and Partners will speak at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”), Bangkok District Chapter (“BDC”), “8th Annual Consular Processing Conference” in Taipei, Taiwan. AILA is an international organization of more than 15,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. Ryan

USCIS Updated Policy Alert Concerning Direct Consular Filing at U.S. Embassies and Consulates

February 17, 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released an updated policy memorandum advising the Department of States (“DOS”) on adjudicating Form I-130 Petitions for Alien Relatives at U.S. Embassies and Consulates through Direct Consular Filing (“DCF.”) The policy memorandum clarifies that USCIS will no longer accept and adjudicate routine I-130 Petitions

What is Lawful Source of Funds and Path of Funds for an EB-5 Immigrant Investor?

February 5, 2020

The investment capital that an EB-5 Investor may use for his or her investment, called the “lawful source of funds” (“SOF”), can come from any source as long as the investor can prove that the capital or funds were obtained lawfully. Some common SOF are salary and bonus income, dividends

USCIS to Change its Processing Policy for I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor EB-5 Petitions

January 31, 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced it is changing the way it will process Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, moving from a first-in, first-out basis to a visa availability approach. The Form I-526 Petition is filed by someone wanting to immigrate to the U.S. via the EB-5

The United States Supreme Court To Allow Public Charge Rule To Take Effect

January 30, 2020

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Trump Administration policy expanding the government’s ability to refuse immigrant visas and issue green cards to immigrants who are likely to become a Public Charge. The 5-4 ruling, which was divided on ideologically lines, will allow the new rule to

USCIS Scheduled to Increase Family-Based Immigrant and Naturalization Application Filing Fees

January 16, 2020

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has proposed to increase its filing fees for family-based immigrant visas and naturalization applications in 2020. Below are examples of the proposed fee increases. Spouse and Family-Based Immigrant Visas: Filing fees are scheduled to increase a nominal 3.74 percent from US$535 to US$550.

EB-5 Visa Processing Time: How Long Do I Have to Wait for Approval?

January 6, 2020

How long is the EB-5 visa processing time? Most of my clients ask me this question and there is a lot of confusion about the processing times visa waiting times. As a refresher, there is a 3-step process to obtaining lawful permanent residence in the U.S. via the EB-5 immigrant

Immigrate to the United States if You Have Exceptional Ability in Science, Art or Business – The EB-2 visa

December 27, 2019

Are you a person with exceptional ability in science, art or business? Then you may qualify to immigrate to the United States and pursue a career in your area of expertise via the Employment Based Second Preference visa category, or EB-2 visa. To qualify as a person of exceptional ability

David Enterline speaks at Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia, Conference in Hong Kong

December 6, 2019

David Enterline spoke at the Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia Conference in Hong Kong November 4th and 5th, 2019. David was the discussion leader on the panel Evaluating the US investment landscape and its appeal to Chinese investors which focused on issues relevant to Chinese investors seeking to

Immigrant Visa

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