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

Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against Trump’s Immigration Ban In Order to Protect Children

April 29, 2020

The first group of litigants have filed a Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) against U.S. President Donald Trump’s Immigration Ban. The TRO petition, which was filed in the U.S. Federal District Court in Oregon, seeks an immediate, limited order to protect family-based preference immigrants under the age of 21 from being

Announcement: USCIS Extends In-Person Services Suspension through June 3rd

April 28, 2020

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced that in-person services at its offices will reopen as early as June 4th in compliance with local and state orders. In-person services at USCIS include field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers. During this extended closure period, USCIS will

EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Petition Statistics Released by the USCIS for Fiscal Year 2020 Q1

April 27, 2020

The United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (“USCIS”) has published its quarterly performance data for Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor and Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneurs to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status. The number of I-526 petition filings are not much of a surprise and the painfully

Trump’s Immigration Ban Has Just Been Released. And It’s Not As Bad As We Expected.

April 23, 2020

Today U.S. President Donald Trump signed his threatened Executive Order (‘EO”) as the “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the Covid-19 Outbreak.” The proclamation becomes effective on Thursday, April 23, 2020 at 11:59 PM (ET), and suspends the

DOS to Allow Certain Non-immigrant Visa Applicants to Proceed with Interviews

October 16, 2020

Following the United States Federal District Court for the Northern District of California issuing a narrow injunction against the United States Department of State, certain nonimmigrant visa applicants that were previously subjected to U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration ban executive order will no longer be subjected to the executive order.

Are you a Conditional Permanent Resident outside the United States because of Covid-19: I-829 and I-751?

October 9, 2020

Are you a conditional permanent resident waiting for the approval of a Form I-829 Petition (for EB-5 immigrant investors) or a Form I-751 Petition (for spouses of U.S. citizens) to remove the condition from your permanent resident status but have not been able to return to the U.S. because of

DHS to Introduce New Rule Holding Immigrant Sponsors Accountable for Failing to Meet Contractual Obligations

October 8, 2020

The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has introduced a rule that would hold immigrant sponsors accountable for failing to meet contractual obligations that they enter when sponsoring a foreign national for an immigrant visa. The new rule comes after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second

New Increased USCIS Filing Fees for EB-5 Investors

October 1, 2020

Update: Between the writing and publication of this article, a federal judge granted a motion for a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fee rule discussed herein. As long as this preliminary injunction is in place, the existing fees remain as before. Effective October 2, 2020,

Department of Homeland Security Announces Proposed Rule Requiring Fixed Period of Stay for F and J Visa Holders

September 29, 2020

The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has announced a proposed rule that would require a fixed period of stay for international students on F student visas and exchange visitors on J visas. Under the proposed rule, the DHS framework that currently allows foreign nationals on F and J

Will U.S. Immigration Services Offer Special Relief to Permanent Residents Who Return to the United States After Being Abroad for More Than One Year Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic?

September 27, 2020

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (“CBP”) has not announced any special relief to a lawful permanent resident (“LPR’) who has remained outside the United States for more than one year because of COVID-19 travel and movement restrictions. Currently, a LPR who was remained outside the United States irrespective

News & Resources

CATEGORY

Visa Application Processing at U.S. Consulates for the E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor Visa

New Adjustment of Status Policy May Force Applicants To Attend Visa Interviews at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate

Can I travel outside the U.S. and return after my I-829 is denied?

Regional Center Job Creation under the RIA

David Enterline receives I-829 Petition award for 2025 from IIUSA