posted on: March 4, 2022
A group of investor immigrants filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration claiming it is unlawfully refusing to process their valid visa application and green cards after Congress allowed a major visa program they participated in to lapse. There are more than a dozen plaintiffs in the complaint which was filed in Seattle federal court on […]
posted on: March 1, 2022
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to clarify the meaning of the “public charge ground of inadmissibility” on February 24. The new guidance will be welcome news for immigrants as well as state governments and immigrant-serving organizations across the country that have worked to combat fear and misinformation around […]
posted on: February 28, 2022
The Biden administration is considering granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Afghans currently living in the United States. Advocates have been pushing the administration to provide more protection and a pathway to citizenship for Afghan evacuees. Over 70,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. since the evacuation, many remain in a legal limbo, with some given […]
posted on: February 25, 2022
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services encourages eligible applicants to consider requesting to transfer the underlying basis of their adjustment of status application to the first or second employment-based preference categories. There is an exceptionally high number of employment-based immigrant visas available in these categories during this fiscal year. For this fiscal year, the overall employment-based annual limit […]
posted on: February 15, 2022
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) announced guidance recognizing that a spousal relationship may exist for the purpose of obtaining derivative refugee or asylee status, in certain circumstances, if there is evidence of an informal marriage. This guidance applies to the adjudication of a pending or newly filed Form I-589, Application […]
posted on: February 14, 2022
USCIS has announced that refugees and those granted asylum may now renew their work permits in two-year increments rather than having to renew annually. This update will affect foreign citizens who have been admitted as refugees or granted asylum. It will also affect those who have self-petitioned for green cards under a program for domestic abuse survivors, […]
posted on: February 11, 2022
The Biden administration is developing a system in Qatar to speed up the processing of at-risk Afghans overseas that are seeking permanent legal status in the U.S. and a resettlement destination. The U.S. has already received and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans through a temporary humanitarian process known as parole. Humanitarian parole leaves the Afghan evacuees […]
posted on: February 8, 2022
The U.S. will grant an additional 20,000 H-2B visas for the first half of the fiscal year to address the labor shortage. The U.S. government hopes that the additional visas will help the U.S employers that are facing irreparable harm if they cannot get additional workers on or before March 31, 2022. The additional visas became […]
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USCIS updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding immigration medical examination requirements for certain Afghan nationals applying for adjustment of status after arriving in the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). These applicants may not need to repeat an immigration medical examination if they already completed an immigration medical examination conducted by a panel physician before […]
posted on: February 1, 2022
USCIS announced today that it is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding immigration medical examination requirements for certain Afghan nationals applying for adjustment of status after arriving in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). Effective immediately, these applicants may not need to repeat an immigration medical examination if they already completed […]
