Immigrant Visa

Trump’s Immigration Ban May Result in More Employment-Based Immigrant Visas Being Issued

May 5, 2020

United States President Donald Trump’s Executive Order (“EO”) banning certain immigrants from immigrating may end up increasing the number of visas available for employment-based immigrant visa categories. Employment-based immigrant visas are capped at 140,000 worldwide per fiscal year while family-based immigrant visas are limited to roughly 250,000 per year. The

Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against Trump’s Immigration Ban In Order to Protect Children

April 29, 2020

The first group of litigants have filed a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) against U.S. President Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban. The TRO petition, which was filed in the U.S. Federal District Court in Oregon, seeks an immediate, limited order to protect family-based preference immigrants under the age of 21 from being

Announcement: USCIS Extends In-Person Services Suspension through June 3rd

April 28, 2020

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that in-person services at its offices will reopen as early as June 4th in compliance with local and state orders. In-person services at USCIS include field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers. During this extended closure period, USCIS will

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Petition Statistics Released by the USCIS for Fiscal Year 2020 Q1

April 27, 2020

The United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (“USCIS”) has published its quarterly performance data for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor and Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneurs to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. The number of I-526 petition filings are not much of a surprise and the painfully

Trump’s Immigration Ban Has Just Been Released. And It’s Not As Bad As We Expected.

April 23, 2020

Today U.S. President Donald Trump signed his threatened Executive Order (‘EO”) as the “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the Covid-19 Outbreak.” The proclamation becomes effective on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:59 PM (ET), and suspends the

Trump Tweets He Will Stop All Immigration: No Need to Fear (Yet)

April 21, 2020

United States President Donald Trump tweeted late in the evening on April 20th that he intends to sign an Executive Order (“EO”) temporarily suspending immigration to the U.S. as it battles the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting mass unemployment. While concerning for many, Enterline and Partners would like to calm

Will The New EB-5 Processing Policy Help Children Who Might Otherwise Age Out?

April 14, 2020

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) recently announced it would change the way it will processes I-526 Petitions (“petitions”) for EB-5 investors. Called a Visa Availability Approach, (“VAA”) this process will apply to all petitions filed after March 31, 2020. During a March 13, 2020 public stakeholders meeting, USCIS

Announcement: DOS Continues to Encourage Medical Professionals with Approved Petitions to Seek an Emergency Visa Appointment

April 13, 2020

The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) has reiterated its earlier announcement that despite the worldwide suspension of routine visa appointments, U.S. embassies and consulates will continue to provide emergency and critical visa services. Healthcare professionals with an approved non-immigrant or immigrant petition such as an I-129 Petition for Nonimmigrant Workers

The Effect of Breaks in Continuity of Residence on Eligibility for Naturalization

April 7, 2020

Are you a lawful permanent resident (“LPR”) of the United States and want to become a U.S. citizen? If you have been a resident for at least 5 years, or 3 years if you obtained your LPR status through marriage to a U.S. citizen, then you may be eligible for

Announcement: USCIS Extends In-Person Services Suspension through May 3

April 6, 2020

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will extend in-person services suspension at Field Offices, Asylum Offices and Application Support Centers (“ACS”) through May 3 unless otherwise announced. While the extended closure covers interviews, naturalization ceremonies, and biometric collections, USCIS will continue to provide emergency and essential services that do not

What Vaccinations are Applicants Required to Have to Immigrate to the United States?

September 11, 2021

To protect the health of U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and other people in the United States from communicable diseases, intending immigrants to the United States are required to be vaccinated against certain diseases to receive an immigrant visa. The diseases currently required to be vaccinated against are: Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis

A DS-261 Online Choice of Agent Form Cannot Be Used as a Substitute to Replace a U.S. Attorney’s G-28 in Immigration Matters

August 30, 2021

United States licensed attorneys representing clients before the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) or the Department of State (“DOS”) submit a Form G-28 Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (“Form G-28”). Submitting a Form G-28 notifies DHS and DOS that this person is being represented by

COVID-19 Vaccinations Required for Immigrant Visa Applicants Beginning October 1st, 2021

August 27, 2021

Beginning October 1, 2021, all immigrant visa applicants will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a medical clearance prerequisite. Medical evaluations, which are regulated by the United States Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), require immigrant visa applicants to meet certain health and vaccination standards before an immigrant visa

Update on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program

August 23, 2021

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor “Regional Center” Program (“Program”) lapsed on June 30, 2021 due to the failure of the U.S. Congress to extend or reauthorize it before that date. Congress has not yet passed a law to reauthorize the Program. As a result, any investor and family members who do

Enterline and Partners Receives Approval for I-130 Proxy Marriage Petition

August 7, 2021

Enterline and Partners is pleased to share that we have received approval of an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (“I-130 Petition”) for one of our Philippines clients who was married by proxy. Our client, a U.S. citizen (Jack) and his Philippines wife (Jill), were married online with Jack being physically

Should I Apply for a Reentry Permit if I Need to Travel Outside the United States?

July 25, 2021

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 Successfully Expedites Another CR-1 Visa Through Direct Consular Filing

July 23, 2021

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

USCIS Issues Another Alert, This Time on the Court Order Regarding EB-5 Regulations

July 13, 2021

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

Alert – USCIS Changes Policy on EB-5 Regional Center Program Adjustment of Status Filings

July 9, 2021

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

USCIS Issues Alert on the EB-5 Regional Center Program

July 5, 2021

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

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