Five years ago, USCIS routinely took three months to issue employment authorization documents (EADs) and advance parole (AP) travel documents. Prior to the pandemic, USCIS was taking approximately six months to issue them. Now, USCIS can take nine months or longer to issue these documents. These delays create huge hardships to organizations
Pursuant to a Biden Administration initiative, on January 21, 2022, the Departments of State (“DOS”) and Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced new actions related to STEM work authorization, J-1 Researchers, National Interest Waivers, and O-1 Extraordinary Ability Workers. You can read the White House Fact Sheet here. “The Biden-Harris Administration believes
On January 5, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), on behalf of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), filed a motion to dismiss its appeal of a U.S. District Court’s ruling in the case Behring Regional Center LLC v. Alejandro N. Mayorkas, et al. (“Behring v. Alejandro”).
Six months have passed since the EB-5 Regional Center Program (“Program”) expired and Congress has still not taken any steps towards its renewal. Originally enacted in 1993, the Program was a pilot, or test, program and was never made permanent. The Program had been extended on a regular basis for
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has extended the authority of consular officers to waive certain in-person non-immigrant visa interviews through the end of 2022. Along with B-1/ B-2 interview waivers, F, M, and J Academic visa applicant waivers have been extended to the end of 2022 under the
With the return of the Trump administration in 2025, many couples are asking the critical question: “Are K-1 Fiancé(e) visas (hereinafter “fianc(é)”) affected by Trump’s new immigration policies?” While there is currently no outright ban on K-1 fianc(é) visas, applicants should be prepared for significant changes in processing, increased
In the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“RIA”), three important terms are Infrastructure Project, Rural Area, and Targeted Employment Area (“TEA”). Here’s a clear explanation of each: Infrastructure Project An infrastructure project refers to a capital investment project administered by a governmental entity, such as a federal, state,
The priority date in U.S. immigration is a critical concept for anyone waiting for lawful permanent residency status (“Green Card”). Because Congress sets strict annual limits on the number of immigrant visas issued in most categories, demand often outstrips supply, creating significant backlogs. Your priority date effectively acts as your
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has updated its Policy Manual to reintroduce a revised version of the 2020 Civics Test – now called the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. This update applies to all Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, filed on or after October 20, 2025. The change
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
Good news for EB-5 investors: effective November 13, 2025, the filing fee for Form I-526E has dropped from $11,160 to $3,675 – a saving of more than $7,000 per petition – following a federal court order issued on November 12, 2025 by the U.S. District Court for the District of
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