Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
USCIS is processing naturalization cases faster than they have in years, and the agency is managing to cut down on its naturalization backlog. Given the current average timing, eligible green card holders who applied early in the summer 2024 might be sworn in in time to vote in the upcoming November elections.
Of course, field…
As immigration advocates make the case for more immigration to the United States, they tend to focus on the ways immigrants participate in our consumer economy. When highly skilled immigrants come to the United States on employment-based work visas, they contribute to the economy by buying goods, taking out mortgages, and paying taxes. They also…
President Joe Biden issued a Memorandum on Extending Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians that defers from June 30, 2024, through June 30, 2026, the removal of any eligible Liberian national who is present in the United States and who has already been entitled to Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and has continuously resided…
The mixed results of their visa programs aimed at attracting foreign investors have some European countries reconsidering, even as the U.S. program continues.
In 2022, the United States reauthorized its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program for five years, until September 2027. The program allows foreign nationals to make investments of between $800,000 and $1,050,000 in projects…
President Joe Biden announced protections for undocumented foreign national spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States for 10 years without a legal immigration status. This will protect approximately 500,000 such spouses from deportation and fear of deportation. The program is expected to launch by summer’s end.
This comes on the 12…
Medical examinations and vaccination records properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon after Nov. 1, 2023, can be used indefinitely, USCIS has announced. There is no longer any expiration date.
Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, is used by some foreign nationals, including green card applicants, to show…
Washington, D.C. joins a growing group of states requiring employers to include projected salary ranges in job postings and to restrict the use of pay history in setting pay.
On Jan. 12, 2024, the mayor of D.C. signed the Wage Transparency Omnibus Amendment Act, which, among other things, requires private employers, regardless of size…
The U.S. government has adjusted export control regulations in an effort to protect U.S. national security interests. The revisions primarily affect export of electronic computing items and semiconductors to prevent foreign powers from obtaining critical technologies that may threaten national security. As manufacturers are facing increased demand for their products and critical labor shortages, they…
Many USCIS filing fees are being adjusted upward beginning on April 1, 2024. That date, of course, is particularly significant. It is the earliest date that Cap H-1Bs can be filed.
The H-1B filing fee, for example, will rise from $460 to $780. The ACWIA Fee (to fund the training of U.S. workers) and the…
The increasing need for talented workers in the United States has more and more employers considering eliminating bachelor’s degree requirements from job descriptions. A recognition of the value of skills and experience over formal education may be driving the trend. See our full article on these issues and considerations here.
