Persons from Hong Kong Not Yet Subject to China Visa Allocation
At a recent IIUSA EB-5 Forum, Charles Oppenheim, the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) – the man who decides the DOS Visa Bulletin every month – responded to a question regarding visa allocation for persons from Hong Kong. The question was “are EB-5 applicants from […]
Department of State Announces Plans to Resume Routine Visa Services
The United States Department of State (“DOS”) has announced that routine visa processing at Embassies and Consulates will resume on a post-by-post basis consistent with DOS’s guidance for safely returning to the full services. As on the ground conditions improve, DOS will begin providing services leading to the eventual full resumption of immigrant and nonimmigrant […]
DHS to Introduce New Rule Holding Immigrant Sponsors Accountable for Failing to Meet Contractual Obligations
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 Circuit issued a decision allowing […]
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?
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 of his or her reason […]
What Happens to a Lawful Permanent Resident if They Have Been Outside the United States for More than One Year Because of COVID-19 Travel Restrictions?
Due to significant travel and movement restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPR”’) have found themselves stranded abroad and thus unable to travel to the United States despite not having the intention of abandoning their LPR status. All permanent residents receive an identification called a Form I-551 but colloquially known as a […]
DOS Provides Update on Public Charge Inadmissibility Following Temporary Injunction
DOS Provides Update on Public Charge Inadmissibility Following Temporary Injunction Following a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge temporarily blocking Public Charge inadmissibility from being enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Department of State (“DOS”) will be updating its guidance to consular officers on how to proceed while the injunction remains […]
Announcement: USCIS Filing Fee for Immigration Forms Changes to Become Effective on October 2, 2020
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has posted for public inspection an advanced copy of a final rule that will significantly alter many fees the USCIS charges for services, including adding new fees, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions, and limiting the number of beneficiaries for certain forms. Across all services, fees […]
Announcement: Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks DOS and DHS from Implementing Public Charge Inadmissibility
A United States federal judge issued a nationwide injunction temporarily blocking the Department of State (“DOS”) and the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) from enforcing Public Charge inadmissibility in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge George McDaniels of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the order due to […]
David Enterline speaks at Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia, Conference in Hong Kong
David Enterline spoke at the Global Migration and Wealth Management, East Asia Conference in Hong Kong November 4th and 5th, 2019. David was the discussion leader on the panel Evaluating the US investment landscape and its appeal to Chinese investors which focused on issues relevant to Chinese investors seeking to invest and immigrate to the […]
U.S. Department of State Announces EB-3 Visa Category Unavailable for the Remainder of Fiscal Year 2019
Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State recently announced that the entire EB-3 visa category has become unavailable for the remainder of the 2019 Fiscal Year. When a visa category reaches its annual limits for the fiscal year, no additional visas may be issued until the next […]