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
On February 24, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will implement the agency’s new rules for inadmissibility on public charge grounds. The final rule outlines some of the criteria on how the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) will determine whether a foreign national is inadmissible to adjust status from
The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) March visa bulletin is out and in a big surprise, the Final Action Date priority date [link to article] for Chinese EB-5 investors leaped forward by 5 months, from December 1, 2014 in February to May 15, 2015. We are looking forward to reading
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released an updated policy memorandum advising the Department of States (“DOS”) on adjudicating Form I-130 Petitions for Alien Relatives at U.S. Embassies and Consulates through Direct Consular Filing (“DCF.”) The policy memorandum clarifies that USCIS will no longer accept and adjudicate routine I-130 Petitions
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Trump Administration policy expanding the government’s ability to refuse immigrant visas and issue green cards to immigrants who are likely to become a Public Charge. The 5-4 ruling, which was divided on ideologically lines, will allow the new rule to
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is scheduled to increase its filing and processing fees for business visas in 2020. Below are examples of the proposed increased fees by visa category: L-1 and H-1B Visas: L-1 visa petitions (for temporary workers, non-immigrant) are scheduled to increase by 77 percent
Are you a person with exceptional ability in science, art or business? Then you may qualify to immigrate to the United States and pursue a career in your area of expertise via the Employment Based Second Preference visa category, or EB-2 visa. To qualify as a person of exceptional ability
A Form I-864 is one of the required documents in the U.S. immigrant visa application process , especially for family-based categories and some employment-based cases. The Form I-864 allows the U.S. government to assess the financial capability of the sponsor to ensure that the intended immigrant will not become a
A common question asked by potential clients is: “Do I need an immigration lawyer to file a K-1 visa for my Vietnamese fiancé/fiancée?” While the short answer is no, having an immigration lawyer represent you and your fiancé through the K-1 visa process has significant advantages. The Benefit of a
For employers and employees navigating the U.S. immigration system, time is often the most critical resource. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) Premium Processing Service allows petitioners to significantly accelerate the adjudication of certain forms, specifically Form I-129 (Nonimmigrant Worker) and Form I-140 (Immigrant Worker), for an additional
Filing a family based immigrant petition for a foreign spouse is one of the most commonly applied for U.S. immigration benefits. The Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative (“Form I-130”), filed with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is used by U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (“Green
If you are applying for the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa, one of the first questions you’ll ask is: “What is the EB-5 visa processing time?” The truth is, EB-5 processing times vary greatly depending on many factors, such as your nationality, the project you invest in, how the United States
A Form I-129F is a Petition for Alien Fiance filed through the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). The form can only be filed by a U.S. citizen over the age of 21. Non-US citizens including Lawful Permanent Residents (i.e. Green Card Holders) are not able to petition their
One key requirement for an I-129F Petition approval and proceeding K-1 non-immigrant visa is that the U.S. citizen and foreign fiance must have physically met within 2 years prior to filing the I-129 Petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). Those who have not satisfied the two
A Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relatives, is filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) to establish a qualifying family relationship between a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (Green Card Holder) and a foreign national immediate relative (“Beneficiary”) . Submitting the Form I-130 is the first step
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
Copyright 2018 – 2025 Enterline and Partners Consulting | All Rights Reserved
