At a recent IIUSA EB-5 Forum, Charles Oppenheim, the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) – the man who decides the DOS Visa Bulletin every month – responded to a question regarding visa allocation for persons from Hong Kong. The question
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced that routine visa processing at Embassies and Consulates will resume on a post-by-post basis consistent with DOS’s guidance for safely returning to the full services. As on the ground conditions improve, DOS will begin providing services leading to the eventual full
Are you a conditional permanent resident waiting for the approval of a Form I-829 Petition (for EB-5 immigrant investors) or a Form I-751 Petition (for spouses of U.S. citizens) to remove the condition from your permanent resident status but have not been able to return to the U.S. because of
Update: Between the writing and publication of this article, a federal judge granted a motion for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fee rule discussed herein. As long as this preliminary injunction is in place, the existing fees remain as before. Effective October 2, 2020,
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (“CBP”) has not announced any special relief to a lawful permanent resident (“LPR’) who has remained outside the United States for more than one year because of COVID-19 travel and movement restrictions. Currently, a LPR who was remained outside the United States irrespective
Due to significant travel and movement restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPR”’) have found themselves stranded abroad and thus unable to travel to the United States despite not having the intention of abandoning their LPR status. All permanent residents receive an identification called a Form I-551
There are many reasons why a lawful permanent resident (“LPR”) would remain outside the United States for more than 180 days. However, staying outside the U.S. for a long period could result in the U.S. government taking the position that an LPR has abandoned his or her intent to live
Enterline & PartnersSince the President’s July 14, 2020 Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization there has been much concern and confusion about whether and how the Executive Order impacts persons born in Hong Kong. The issue is whether the Executive Order makes individuals born in Hong Kong subject to visa
Effective August 28, as it becomes safe to resume more consular operations at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, posts are authorized to give K visa cases high priority. Applicants should check https://www.ustraveldocs.com/ph/ (Philippines) and http://cdn.ustraveldocs.com/vn/ (Vietnam) for updates. The I-129F Petition
DOS Provides Update on Public Charge Inadmissibility Following Temporary Injunction Following a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge temporarily blocking Public Charge inadmissibility from being enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) will be updating its guidance to consular officers on how to
The doctrine of consular nonreviewability refers to visa decisions decided by consular officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates cannot be appealed to courts within the United States. The doctrine applies very broadly to decisions made by consular officers whether they apply to foreign nationals who have been refused an immigrant
The Department of State (“DOS”) March 2022 visa bulletin continues to show EB-5 regional center visa categories (I5 and R5) unavailable (U) because the EB-5 regional center program remains expired. Read more: the regional center program (“Program”) having lapsed on June 30, 2021. Visas in non-regional center visa categories (C5
There has always been a challenge with some U.S. government offices incorrectly listing Vietnamese citizen’s names on government documents such as visas and Form I-551 “Green Cards” because Vietnamese passports list names in order of last name (or “family name” or “surname”) followed by middle name then first name. This
On January 5, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), on behalf of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), filed a motion to dismiss its appeal of a U.S. District Court’s ruling in the case Behring Regional Center LLC v. Alejandro N. Mayorkas, et al. (“Behring v. Alejandro”).
Six months have passed since the EB-5 Regional Center Program (“Program”) expired and Congress has still not taken any steps towards its renewal. Originally enacted in 1993, the Program was a pilot, or test, program and was never made permanent. The Program had been extended on a regular basis for
The COVID-19 Pandemic has in no doubt permanently altered the way business is done across many industries and professions. From international borders closures to internal movement control orders, activities and transactions which were once routine and seamless are now complex and difficult. Despite all of the hardship caused by the
Effective December 6, 2021, the United States Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) has established new rules requiring international air travelers arriving in the United States to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within 24 hours of departure. Under the current rules, vaccinated international air travelers may present a negative test result
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ease, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced that the earlier tiered approach aimed at reducing backlogs has been rescinded. Instead of the tiered approach, DOS will focus on reducing wait times for all consular processing services while also protecting the health
The Department of State (“DOS”) December 2021 visa bulletin is out and the priority date for non-regional center investments made by EB-5 investors under the EB-5 visa category is current for all countries including China. This is the first time that EB-5 visa numbers have been “current” for Chinese investors
Ryan Barshop, a partner of Enterline and Partners Consulting was recently featured in the October 2021 E-Bulletin of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Global Migration Section (“AILA GMS”). Mr. Barshop, who has been practicing U.S. immigration law overseas for nearly 10 years, was interviewed by AILA GMS about why he
Copyright 2018 – 2025 Enterline and Partners Consulting | All Rights Reserved
