Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Control and Reporting Division provided important updates at the Invest in the USA (IIUSA) 2019 EB-5 Advocacy Conference. The annual event was held in Washington, D.C. on May 6, 2019. As noted by Oppenheim, EB-5 visas remain in very
A U.S. federal grand jury in Houston, Texas issued a 206 count indictment involving a massive marriage fraud scheme on April 30, 2019. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a total of 96 individuals were involved in a suspected criminal enterprise designed to create sham marriages between individuals
As of May 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) new rules went into effect concerning consular officers recommending a waiver if a nonimmigrant visa applicant is ineligible under Section 212(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). Under the new rule, consular officers will be required to refer
American visa validity depends on a person’s nationality. For example, Vietnamese citizens are given a maximum of a one-year multiple-entry visa. Other neighboring countries such as the Philippines and Thailand are eligible for a maximum of 10 years multiple-entry visas while Cambodian citizens receive up to three-months double entry validity.
On April 8, 2019, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna sent a letter to Senator Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Leahy (D-VT) regarding the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization Rule (RIN 1615-AC07). Among other things, Director Cissna indicated in the letter that “DHS is dedicated to ensuring expeditious implementation of the rule,
President Donald Trump today amended a previously signed executive order (EO) to expand the current immigration ban to include certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. The updated EO, formally titled “Proclamation Suspending the Entry of Immigrants Who Pose Risks to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak,”
The U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City has announced that starting on June 29, limited immigrant visa interviews will resume following a three-month suspension as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Immigrant visa interviews will be restricted to applicants who were initially scheduled for an interview in March, April
Beginning June 1st, the U.S. Embassy in Manila will change its banking partner from Bank of the Philippine Islands (“BPI”) to Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (“RCBC.”) Visa applicants may pay their fees at any RCBC branch. The visa application fee is non-refundable, non-transferable and applicants are required to print and
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is scheduled to resume Form I-907 Request for Premium Processing Service for Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140 Petition for Alien Workers in phases throughout the month of June. Premium processing was temporarily suspended on March 20th due to
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is scheduled to resume non-emergency in-person services on June 4th. On March 18, USCIS suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As USCIS services recommence, offices will reduce the number
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