Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. All the top 10 in-demand jobs in the United States are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) jobs, and the U.S. has provided an easier path for international students in those fields to pursue temporary occupations in the United States. Read our latest blog to learn about the new expedited processing that USCIS has put in place for certain F-1 students.
USCIS has been reassessing itself for improvements, and recently they made a good one. After years of on site inspections for R-1 visa petitioners, USCIS has announced a new change to the inspection process. Read our latest blog to learn more.
2016 - 2020 was a rough time for immigration. During the Trump Administration many immigration laws were threatened, but immigration reform advocates were very hopeful when President Biden was elected, expecting Biden to follow through on his political stance and promises to protect DACA, limit deportation, and provide a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented population. Instead, the Biden Administration has made a shocking announcement about asylum that almost no one saw coming.
Have you ever noticed that your green card looks different from your family members’ green cards who received them in different years? It’s not commonly known, but USCIS actually redesigns green cards and work permit cards every three to five years. USCIS recently announced its latest redesign to its green cards and EAD cards - read our latest blog to learn about the validity of your current green card and EAD card.
Another day, another lawsuit filed against USCIS. A group of immigrants in Seattle have filed a federal class action lawsuit against USCIS for the multi-year backlog of their immigration cases. The lawsuit hopes to hold the Biden Administration accountable for the extreme delay in processing I-601A waivers, which has prevented the plaintiffs from becoming lawful permanent residents. Read our latest blog to learn more about this development.
The big question on our minds today: Will USCIS ever catch up to the backlog of petitions it has? While delays in processing aren't helpful for applicants, USCIS recently announced that if you have a conditional green card and have filed Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, your green card will be automatically extended for 48 months past its current expiration date. Read our latest blog to learn how this impacts your USCIS application.
Do you remember last month, when a terrible shooting occurred at a farm in Half Moon Bay, California? The shooting took place at a farm where most, if not all, of the workers were immigrants, and many of them were undocumented. With a renewed focus on just how inadequate the environments of undocumented workers can be, and what an unfair advantage employers have over them, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced an updated and enhanced process for workers to request deferred action for themselves and investigations into their employers. Read our latest blog to learn more about this DHS announcement.
USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has announced a planned fee increase for its petitions, and has given the general public until March 6, 2023 to submit a formal comment on this proposed new rule that would enable fee increases to take place. Read our latest blog to learn what petitions the fee increase would affect, and what you can do to save money in filing.
USCIS has announced a turnaround on its terrible backlog rates - detailing in its 2022 Progress Report the ways that the federal agency has worked in the past year to reduce its enormous caseload. Read our latest blog to learn where USCIS's infamous backlog currently stands, and if the agency's new stated commitments will affect your case.
There is always a bit of confusion when people start a green card application. Many wait years and years to qualify to file a green card application, but don’t realize that certain decisions when filing can cause the application to process differently - either slower or faster. Although you may question whether it is best to file the mandatory Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, with a green card application or not, USCIS has finally made it clear. Read our latest blog to learn what the best step is when filing!
Do you have family members or close friends in Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, or Venezuela that you wish could be in the United States? You may be able to help them come live here, for a two year time period. On January 6, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security announced a new program by which a U.S. based supporter can petition to sponsor a national of Nicaragua, Cuba, Haiti, or Venezuela. We’ve got the answers you are looking for about it, read our latest blog to learn more.
If you had to guess, what percentage of those applying would you say pass the naturalization test every year? And for fun, what percentage of natural-born Americans would you guess would be able to pass the U.S. naturalization test? A typical USCIS interview for citizenship includes an English exam comprised of verbal, reading, and writing tests, as well as 10 civics questions chosen from a pool of 100 questions. Although it has used this format for years, USCIS has decided to redesign its exam, and is looking for people to participate in its trial for updates to the current naturalization test. Read our latest blog to learn more!
The world has lost a legend. Edson Arantes Do Nascimento, known to the world as Pelé, was the king of football (soccer), an icon who won three World Cup championships, and a recipient of the rare O-1 visa, for individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement. Read our latest blog to learn more about the O-1 visa and Pelé's impact on the world.
Deadlines are always important in the immigration world and one we want you all to be aware of involves the new public charge rule which went into effect December 23, 2022. While the rule is particularly significant for immigrants and immigration lawyers, its official start date impacts one of the most common immigration petitions submitted to USCIS, the I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, also known as a green card application. Read our latest blog to learn about the change to the public charge rule.
92. That’s the number of U.S. military veterans that were deported between 2013 and 2018, a period that was governed by both Democrat and Republican administrations. In at attempt to help those deported, the House of Representatives has just passed the Veteran Service Recognition Act, a bill aimed at helping deported veterans and noncitizens currently in the U.S. Armed Forces. Read our latest blog to learn more about this bill, which now goes to the Senate for a vote.
Although the world has clearly moved into ‘The Digital Age’, government agencies are often far behind modern technology, and USCIS is no exception. Because of the vast amount of paper petitions it receives, USCIS has announced new recommendations for paper filings in order to avoid scanning delays. Read our latest blog to find out how best to send paper filings to USCIS.
“The American public supports DACA recipients. What’s the holdup?” That’s the question Representative Lou Correa (D-Calif.) is asking, and it deserves a response. Some senators are trying to push a vote for DACA reform in the last few weeks of 2022. Read our latest blog to learn more, and how you can contact your Virginia Senators to have your voice be heard.
El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan. What do all these countries have in common? As of a week ago, the answer to that is an automatic extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Read our latest blog to learn if your TPS status qualifies for an extension.
It seems like a rare moment when the government can report a positive statistic, but when it happens there is reason to celebrate. The State Department (which manages U.S. embassies and consular processing of visas) is reporting processing immigrant visa applications at 130% of pre-pandemic monthly averages, which translates in the last year to having processed 8 million non-immigrant visas. Read our latest blog to learn about the reduction in visa interview wait times and how this is impacting embassies in Central America.
We know you are probably frustrated and tired. We are right there with you. After six years of lawsuits and broken promises about DACA, it can sometimes feel like politicians have forgotten what they need to fight for. While it definitely is not a permanent solution, the Biden Administration is keeping its summer promise to make DACA a federal rule. Read our latest blog to learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s new Final Rule to preserve and fortify DACA , which recently went into effect.
An estimated 2.3 million Hispanics of Cuban origin live in the United States, with 66% of those living in Florida. For those hoping that their relatives still in Cuba may have a way to join them things just got a bit easier. The State Department announced that limited immigrant visa services will resume at the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. Read our latest blog to learn more about the expanding visa services in Cuba.
Have you or a close family member wanted to become a U.S. citizen but felt like it was nearly impossible because of the English language and civic exam requirements? Good news! USCIS has announced an update to its Form N-648, the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. Read our latest blog to learn if this updated guidance will help you or your family member be able to naturalize.
Venezuela is still in crisis. The country, which has seen economic upheaval, political turmoil, and a lack of basic goods for the last several years, has lost more than 7 million of its citizens recently, all fleeing the humanitarian crisis in the country. In speaking to the crisis the Biden Administration has announced a new limited parole program for up to 24,000 Venezuelans. Read our latest blog to see how this new program could assist you or your loved ones.
The population of Virginia Beach is about 463,000 people. When you combine that with the population of Norfolk, which is roughly 260,000 people, you get over 700,000 - the amount of people registered as DREAMers with DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). A new court ruling impacts Dreamers in a big way, read our latest blog to learn about it.
People talk a lot about obtaining a Green Card (lawful permanent resident card) in the United States, but not a lot of focus is put on what happens afterwards. USCIS has made a new announcement for Green Card holders needing to renew. Read our latest blog to learn more!
