U.S. State Department Stiffens the Bar on Immigrant Visas for Communist Party Members

September 12, 2025

This article is posted here in English and translated into Vietnamese and posted courtesy of the author, Gary Chodorow of Chodorow Law Offices. You can find the original article on Gary’s website at: https://lawandborder.com/u-s-state-department-stiffens-the-bar-on-immigrant-visas-for-communist-party-members/ Introduction The U.S. State Department has updated its Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) to toughen the statutory

Increased Investment Amounts Of The RIA

September 11, 2025

The Increased Investment Amounts section of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“RIA”) raises the minimum investment thresholds to adjust for inflation and ensure the continued effectiveness of the program in promoting economic growth and job creation in the United States. Under the updated rules, the standard investment

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Everything You Need to Know About the U.S. Immigration Medical Exam

September 9, 2025

All immigrant visa applicants (i.e. those applying for a Green Card) are required to complete a medical exam at a designated clinic by a panel physician as part of the process. The purpose of the exam is to ensure that applicants are not carriers of any serious infectious diseases or

DOS Will Now Require Immigrant Visa Applicants to Interview in Place of Residence or Country of Nationality

September 5, 2025

The United States Department of State (“DOS”) is now requiring immigrant visa applicants to apply for immigrant visas in the consular district designated for their place of residence or in their country of nationality. Effective immediately, if an immigrant visa applicant would like to transfer his or her pending immigrant

EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022

March 28, 2022

The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“Act”) was passed by Congress and signed by President Biden on March 15, 2022. Most of the provisions of the Act will become effective 60 days from enactment, which will be the middle of May 2022. The Act includes many changes to

How Often Can Someone Visit and Stay in the United States on a B-1 B-2 Visitor Visa?

March 22, 2022

It is often misunderstood that those who enter the United States on a B-1/B-2 Visitor Visa and granted a 6 month stay are allowed to leave the United States, re-enter and be granted another 6 months upon re-arrival. While there may be reasons why this is acceptable, and many visitors

What is the Doctrine of Consular Nonreviewability?

March 11, 2022

The doctrine of consular nonreviewability refers to visa decisions decided by consular officers at U.S. Embassies and Consulates cannot be appealed to courts within the United States. The doctrine applies very broadly to decisions made by consular officers whether they apply to foreign nationals who have been refused an immigrant

No Changes to EB-5 Category in the March 2022 Visa Bulletin

March 7, 2022

The Department of State (“DOS”) March 2022 visa bulletin continues to show EB-5 regional center visa categories (I5 and R5) unavailable (U) because the EB-5 regional center program remains expired. Read more: the regional center program (“Program”) having lapsed on June 30, 2021. Visas in non-regional center visa categories (C5

What is a K-3 Visa and How is it Different from a CR-1/ IR-1 Visa?

March 2, 2022

Quick Comparison: K-3 vs CR-1/IR-1 K-3 Visa CR-1/IR-1 Visa Visa type Nonimmigrant Immigrant Who qualifies Spouse of a U.S. citizen Spouse of a U.S. citizen (IR-1) or LPR (CR-1) Primary forms I-130 + I-129F I-130 Status upon entry Nonimmigrant; must file AOS after arriving Immigrant immediately; becomes LPR at port

Expediting Employment Authorization and Advance Parole Travel Documents

January 28, 2022

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

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