The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) which oversees the visa adjudication process at U.S. Embassies and Consulates has not released any formal statement indicating that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has resulted in the suspension of consular operations. A recent social media posting purported to be an official statement from the
The investment capital that an EB-5 Investor may use for his or her investment, called the “lawful source of funds” (“SOF”), can come from any source as long as the investor can prove that the capital or funds were obtained lawfully. Some common SOF are salary and bonus income, dividends
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced it is changing the way it will process Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor, moving from a first-in, first-out basis to a visa availability approach. The Form I-526 Petition is filed by someone wanting to immigrate to the U.S. via the EB-5
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
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) is scheduled to release new guidelines giving consular officers further discretion to determine whether women who are applying for a B-1/ B-2 visitor visa primary purpose is to give birth in the United States. It is unclear how consular officers at U.S. Embassies
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 Originally enacted in 1993, the Program was a pilot, or test, program and was never made permanent.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
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is again extending the time period within which applicants, petitioners, and requestors may respond to agency requests. This flexibility applies if the issuance date listed on the request, notice, or decision is on or between March 1, 2020,
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has published an interactive webpage allowing non-immigrant visa applicants to check the estimated waiting time for interviews at specific Embassies and Consulates. By clicking on Visa Appointment Wait Times, applicants will be able to identify approximate waiting time for B-1/ B-2 Visitor Visas,
The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency and the Department of State have extended the ability of U.S. citizens to travel to the United States on expired passports through March 31, 2022. As with the previous policy scheduled to expire on December 31, 2021, travelers must meet the following
Congratulations to Ryan Barshop, who has reached 10 years as an American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) member. AILA is the 15,000+ association of U.S. and international lawyers who practice U.S. immigration law. During his membership, Ryan has been active as a member in the Asia-Pacific Chapter including serving as its
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