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

United States Senate Introduces New Legislation for Immigrant Nurses and Doctors

April 5, 2021

The United States Senate has introduced bi-partisan legislation to provide temporary relief to the nation’s shortage of doctors and nurses. The senate bill, known as the “Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act” would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for doctors in the ongoing battle against

Enterline Obtains Expedited Processing for Hong Kong EB-5 Investors

March 25, 2021

Enterline and Partners Consulting Managing Partner David Enterline has obtained approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) Investor Program Office (“IPO”) to expedite the review of Hong Kong EB-5 investors I-526 Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor (“I-526 Petition”). An approval of an expedite request is not an

Vietnam Investors Leap Forward Almost 2 Months on the April visa bulletin

March 16, 2021

Good news for Vietnam EB-5 Investors, as the “Final Action Date” priority date on the Department of State’s April visa bulletin leaped forward by almost two months, from October 22, 2017 to December 15, 2017. The priority date indicates that any Vietnamese investors who filed their I-526 Petitions on or

What is a Form I-130 Petition?

March 9, 2021

A Form I-130 is a Petition for Alien Relative filed through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The form can be filed by either a U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card Holder) which establishes a valid family relationship. It is the first step in helping immediate

The March 2021 Visa Bulletin Priority Date – Three weeks forward for Vietnamese EB-5 immigrant investors; China frozen; Taiwan and rest of the world current.

March 3, 2021

Visa Bulletin for March 2021 Priority Date Three weeks forward for Vietnamese EB-5 immigrant investors; China frozen; Taiwan and rest of the world current. The “Final Action Date” priority date for Vietnamese EB-5 investors moved forward three weeks in the Department of State March 2021 visa bulletin, from October 1,

Biden Revokes Trump’s Executive Order Restricting Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants

February 25, 2021

United States President Joseph Biden has revoked former President Donald Trump’s Executive Order (“EO”) restricting certain immigrant and non-immigrant applicants from visa processing. Intended to protect U.S. jobs at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trump issued an EO on April 23, 2020 suspending selected immigrant visa applicants which

EB-2 Visa Approved in Manila

February 23, 2021

Enterline and Partners is pleased to share that we were able to overcome a refusal for one of our clients who was successfully issued an EB-2 Immigrant Visa in the Philippines. Our client, a healthcare provider, was petitioned by a U.S. employer as a physical therapist. After the Form I-140

Writ of Mandamus for EB-5 immigrant investors update

February 2, 2021

In June we wrote about the option of filing a Writ of Mandamus for EB-5 investors whose I-526 Petitions have been pending for a long time without a decision. In August 2020, Enterline and Partners assisted one of its clients to file a Writ of Mandamus for an EB-5 immigrant

Interest in the EB 5 visa returning with 75 investors from July through September 2020

January 26, 2021

Following the increase to the minimum investment in a targeted employment area, from US$500,000 to US$900,000 in November 2019 [see here, here and here], interest in the EB-5 immigrant investor visa significantly dropped in early 2020. Data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) on quarterly filings indicated

USCIS to Replace Sticker That Extends Validity of Green Cards

January 25, 2021

Starting in January 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (“LPRs”) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”). The new document will be a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action

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