On March 19, 2020, the Department of State suspended all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa interview appointments as a response to the growing Coronavirus pandemic. International travel restrictions have been put in place around the world in an attempt to control the spread of the virus. With no predetermined expiration
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will accept benefit forms and documents with reproduced original signatures for submissions dated March 21, 2020 and thereafter. The policy change was made in response to the Coronavirus National Emergency declared by President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020. While USCIS
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has temporarily suspended its premium processing option for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions until further notice due to the ongoing efforts to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. Petitions using a Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing accepted prior to March 20, 2020
As of March 18th, all United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) in-person services at all field offices, asylum offices and Application Support Centers (“ASC”) are suspended in an effort to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. In-person services are scheduled to resume on April 1st. USCIS field offices will
The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi and the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City has announced that all routine visa interviews will be cancelled as of March 19th in an effort to impede the spread of the Coronavirus. Applicants with an urgent travel matter may request an expedited appointment which
In light of the Philippines government decision to impose a city-wide lockdown around Metro Manila to contain the Coronavirus, the U.S. Embassy has announced that all immigrant and non-immigrant visa interviews have been cancelled as of March 16, 2020. Visa interviews will resume as soon as possible. More information can
The Employment Based Second Preference Immigrant Visa Category (EB-2) Advanced Degree Holder and Person of Exceptional Ability with National Interest Waivers. Previously we wrote about the qualifications for an Employment Based Second Preference (EB-2) Immigrant Visa which is for persons who have an advanced degree or persons with exceptional ability
The new public charge rule requires immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants to provide a detailed DS-5540 public charge questionnaire in order to determine whether they are likely to become a public charge at any time in the future. While a K-1 visa is officially a non-immigrant visa allowing for single
Why did the EB 5 China final action date jump forward in the March 2020 visa bulletin? There have been a number of questions as to why the final action date for EB-5 investors from China leaped forward 4.5 months in the March visa bulletin. United States Department of State’s
Following the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) lead, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”), which oversees consular processing for immigrant and non-immigrant visas at U.S. Embassies and Consulates, has implemented its new public charge rule as of February 24, 2020. Immigrant visa applicants will be required to complete a Form
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 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has posted for public inspection an advanced copy of a final rule that will significantly alter many fees the USCIS charges for services, including adding new fees, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and limiting the number of beneficiaries for certain
A United States federal judge issued a nationwide injunction temporarily blocking the Department of State (“DOS”) and the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) from enforcing Public Charge inadmissibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge George McDaniels of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
The United States Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”) has approved a one-month extension on medical evaluations conducted for immigrant visa applications between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020. Immigrant visa applicants who obtained medical clearances as well as those who had their immigrant visas issued but were unable to
On July 14, 2020 President Trump signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020 and at the same time signed The President’s Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization. The intent of this Executive Order (“EO”) is to suspend or eliminate different and preferential treatment for Hong Kong, including the treatment
Enterline and Partners recently represented a newlywed couple living in the Philippines in an expedited I-130 Petition for Alien Relative at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The couple, a U.S. citizen and a Philippines citizen, were married in the United States and living in Manila. The expedited filing, which was
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s June 22nd proclamation amending a previous Executive Order (“EO”) restricting immigration to certain immigrant and non-immigrant visa applicants, an exemption has been granted to children of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The previous EO issued on April 22nd formally known as the “Proclamation Suspending Entry
EB-5 investors and projects continue to contend with lengthy delays in the processing of I-526 Petitions. Average processing times have steadily increased over the past few years, in stark contrast to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) new Investor Program Office (“IPO”) statements that it would reverse the trend
Copyright 2018 – 2025 Enterline and Partners Consulting | All Rights Reserved
