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
If you are a Lawful Permanent Resident (“LPR”) and need to travel outside the U.S for a temporary trip abroad, you generally do not need to apply for any special document to return to the United States. Your valid Form I-551, more commonly known as a “Green Card”, is usually
Enterline and Partners is pleased to announce another CR-1 immigrant visa has been issued by filing an expedited I-130 Petition for Alien Relative with the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (“Consulate”) through Direct Consular Filing (“DCF”). The petitioner, a U.S. citizen and beneficiary, a British citizen, were married
The United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (“USCIS”) has posted another Alert regarding the EB-5 immigrant investor visa. We post the complete Alert here for convenience. “On June 22, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in Behring Regional Center LLC v. Wolf, 20-cv-09263-JSC, vacated the EB-5 Immigrant
One day after announcing its policy on handling EB-5 immigrant investor petitions and applications, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has reversed its decision on accepting Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (“Form I-485”). The updated “Alert” with this change has been posted on
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has posted an “Alert” on its “Approved EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Centers webpage”. The Alert explains how the USCIS will handle relevant petitions and applications following the sunset of the Immigrant Investor “Regional Center” Program (the “Program”). We emphasis herein guidance related
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor “Regional Center” Program (“Program”) will lapse on June 30, 2021 due to the failure of the U.S. Congress to reauthorize or extend it before the expiration date. Because the Senate has adjourned for recess until July 12, 2021, the Program will remain unavailable as no legislation
Update: The Department of State has updated their triad approach. For more information, click here. After enduring the COVID-19 pandemic for over a year, most U.S. embassies and consulates are not operating at full capacity. Due to limited appointment availability, a significant backlog was created for immigrant (IV) and nonimmigrant visa
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has issued new policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to address the circumstances in which officers should issue Requests for Evidence (“RFEs”) and Notices of Intent to Deny (“NOIDs”). In 2013, USCIS published guidance instructing officers to issue RFEs in cases involving
On June 22, 2021, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California issued an order granting summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, Behring Regional Center, in the lawsuit Behring filed against the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). The order was given in the matter of Behring
The term proxy marriage refers to the ceremony performed where one or both members of the party to the marriage are not physically present at the ceremony. Although unrecognized in most U.S. jurisdictions, some jurisdictions not only recognize online marriages but they have streamlined the process making it easy for
Copyright 2018 – 2025 Enterline and Partners Consulting | All Rights Reserved
