News & Resources

House Introduces Legislation to Increase Immigrant Visas for Foreign Doctors and Nurses

May 15, 2020

The United States House of Representatives has introduced companion legislation to the recently proposed Senate bill which would increase the number of immigrant visas issued to foreign doctors and nurses. Known as the “Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act,” the new legislation, if enacted, would authorize immigrant visas to qualified foreign nationals

United States Federal Court Judge Denies TRO Filed Against Trump’s Immigration Ban to Protect Children

May 14, 2020

A U.S. Federal Court Judge has denied a request for a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) filed against U.S. President Trump’s immigration ban. The TRO petition, which was filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon, sought to temporarily block part of the Executive Order (“EO”) in order to protect family-based

United States CBP Reports Sharp Increase on Electronic Devices Searches for 2019 Fiscal Year

May 12, 2020

The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (“CBP”) has released statistics on the number of border searches conducted on electronic devices for the 2019 Fiscal Year. During the year, more than 414 million travelers arrived through air, land and sea Ports of Entry (“POE”), and of that total number,

United States Senate Introduces Legislation to Increase Immigrant Visas for Foreign Doctors and Nurses

May 6, 2020

New legislation has been introduced in the United States Senate to grant unused immigrant visas to foreign healthcare professionals to help fight the coronavirus. The Senate bill would authorize up to 25,000 immigrant visas for foreign nurses and up to 15,000 for foreign doctors. The legislation would also allow the

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

USCIS Extends Evidence of Status for Conditional Permanent Residents to 24 Months with Pending Form I-751 or Form I-829

September 14, 2021

Starting Sept. 4, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is extending the time that receipt notices can be used to show evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly filed Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence and Form I-829, Petition

What Vaccinations are Applicants Required to Have to Immigrate to the United States?

September 11, 2021

To protect the health of U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and other people in the United States from communicable diseases, intending immigrants to the United States are required to be vaccinated against certain diseases to receive an immigrant visa. The diseases currently required to be vaccinated against are: Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis

DOS Updates on Immigrant Visa Processing Delays

September 10, 2021

The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced updates to the tiered approach to remove backlogs and resume normal consular operations at embassies and consulates that have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to DOS, Tier 1, which includes immediate relative intercountry adoption visas and age-out cases

U.S. Consulate Operations in Vietnam Reduced until September 15th

September 2, 2021

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has announced a full lockdown of the city until at least September 15th. As a result, the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City is unable to process routine visa appointments and can only grant visa appointment requests in extraordinary circumstances such

A DS-261 Online Choice of Agent Form Cannot Be Used as a Substitute to Replace a U.S. Attorney’s G-28 in Immigration Matters

August 30, 2021

United States licensed attorneys representing clients before the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) or the Department of State (“DOS”) submit a Form G-28 Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative (“Form G-28”). Submitting a Form G-28 notifies DHS and DOS that this person is being represented by

COVID-19 Vaccinations Required for Immigrant Visa Applicants Beginning October 1st, 2021

August 27, 2021

Beginning October 1, 2021, all immigrant visa applicants will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as a medical clearance prerequisite. Medical evaluations, which are regulated by the United States Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), require immigrant visa applicants to meet certain health and vaccination standards before an immigrant visa

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