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Articles Posted in Consular Processing

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Secretary of State Orders Consulates to Adopt Tougher Visa Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants

The newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is quickly mobilizing government resources to increase scrutiny and implement tougher screening procedures for applicants who are applying for a U.S. visa or other immigration benefit at U.S. Consular posts and Embassies abroad. Reuters has reported that Secretary Tillerson has sent…

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Recap: What’s new in immigration

In this series, our office brings you up to speed on all things immigration. Reminders for H-1B applicants for Fiscal Year 2018 Beginning April 3, 2017 USCIS will begin to accept cap-subject H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2018. USCIS has recently announced that premium processing has been temporarily suspended beginning…

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DOS: Ink Signatures No Longer Required on Affidavits of Support

On December 28, 2016, the Department of State announced that original or “wet ink” signatures are no longer required on Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for immigrant visa petitions. This new measure also applies to I-864 supplements such as the I-864A, I-864W, and I-864EZ. Beginning January 1, 2017 the National…

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Happy Holidays from the Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick

For years you have put your trust in our office for all of your immigration needs and for that we thank you. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to serve you and your families. Throughout the years, we have helped thousands of immigrants from all over the world…

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DOS Publishes FY 2017 Annual Numerical Limits for Family and Employment-Based Preference Categories

On December 12, 2016, the Department of State published the Annual Numerical Limits for both family and employment-based visa preference categories for Fiscal Year 2017. Family preference and employment immigrant categories are subject to numerical limitations and are divided by preference systems on the Visa Bulletin and become current based…

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Understanding the 3- and 10-year Bars of Unlawful Presence and the New Rule Expanding I-601A Eligibility

For persons who have entered the United States illegally or who have accrued unlawful presence after having overstayed their visa, the possibility of obtaining lawful permanent residence (a green card) is very limited. In the United States there are generally two ways to adjust status to permanent residence. With few…

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Guide to the I-130 Consular Process to Immigrate Foreign Spouses

Image Courtesy of Scotland Shop In this informational post we discuss the I-130 Consular Process for spouses. Consular processing refers to the process by which a U.S. Citizen immigrates their foreign spouse to the United States from abroad. Depending on the foreign spouse’s country of residence, and the volume of…

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Q & A: Answering Your Frequently Asked Questions

In this segment, we answer 5 of your most frequently asked questions received on our social media platforms and our website. Please remember that every case is different and every immigration journey is unique. You should not compare your situation to anyone else’s. We hope that our answers will provide…

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The October Visa Bulletin and Final Action Date Chart

On September 21, 2016 the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted the adjustment of status filing dates for October 2016. If you are waiting to apply for permanent residence based on an approved family-sponsored petition (I-130) or based on an approved employment-based petition (I-140), USCIS has advised that…