A brand-new bill called the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2020 (S. 3770) sponsored by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has recently surfaced. As you might have already guessed, the bill seeks to make changes to the current H-1B and L visa programs to reduce fraud and abuse within…
We have received an outpouring of emails, comments, and messages from our loyal followers asking when Consular posts and Embassies worldwide will reopen. We understand the frustration that our readers feel and sympathize with the world situation. While USCIS has announced that in person appointments will resume on June 4th,…
The Department of State has released the visa bulletin for June 2020 outlining the availability of immigrant visa numbers for the upcoming month. NOTE: Adjustment of Status Filing Charts June 2020 For Family-Sponsored Filings: In the F2A category, there is a cutoff date on the Dates for Filing chart. However, the…
The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic has been felt by nearly all sectors of the economy, but perhaps the most unexpected victim has been the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Unlike many other government agencies, USCIS does not depend on government funding to survive. Instead, the agency…
The House of Representatives has introduced a new bill called the HEROES Act, (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act), that provides short term financial relief during this health crisis. In this post, we discuss who would be covered under the HEROES Act and what type of relief would…
The government is yet again proposing sweeping changes to current immigration policy, this time targeting Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. By law, petitioners seeking to immigrate their immediate relative to the United States are required to submit Form I-864 affidavit of support, to ensure to the government that the foreign…
On May 7th just days after the President signed his controversial April 22nd executive order limiting the immigration of certain aliens to the United States for 60 days, Republican senators rallied together to urge the President to pass more immigration restrictions—this time targeting nonimmigrant foreign workers. Republican Senators Tom Cotton…
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! In this post we will discuss a few recent updates released by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). UPDATE: USCIS Extends Flexibility Policy for RFEs, NOIDs, I-290bs, and more Due to the ongoing circumstances relating to COVID-19, USCIS will continue to provide flexibility in…
Great news has come down from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this afternoon. Dealing a blow to the Trump administration, the court issued a majority decision denying the federal government’s motion to lift a lower court injunction that prevented the government from implementing Presidential Proclamation No.…
We are pleased to report the introduction of a brand-new Senate bill called the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, sponsored by Senators David Perdue, Todd Young, Dick Durbin, and Chris Coons. The purpose of the bill is to increase the number of health care workers available to meet the demand of…