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The Jumpstart Our Legal Immigration System Act (Jumpstart), introduced by Zoe Lofgren (D-Calf.) in the House of Representatives, if passed, could revolutionize the green card process. The legislation would recapture thousands of unused family- and employment-based visas and allow beneficiaries to expedite their processes by paying additional fees.

The Jumpstart Act would help to…

Just as the Biden Administration is proposing increased funding for USCIS to help reduce the agency’s backlog, USCIS is announcing  future new actions to improve processing times.

USCIS:

  1. Plans to expand staffing, improve its technology, and establish new internal cycle time goals (the amount of time it takes to process a typical case). As the

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A series of significant developments in U.S. immigration law has already marked the beginning of 2022 and more can be expected.  Please see our Legal Update for what to anticipate as the year progresses.

USCIS has increased the evidentiary burden for petitions for the O-1 Extraordinary Ability visa to mirror that for the EB-1 Extraordinary Ability visa.

Both the O-1 nonimmigrant and EB-1 immigrant visa classifications remain important and flexible methods of sponsoring outstanding talent in the United States. Unfortunately, USCIS backlogs and processing delays persist, and availability of…

USCIS’s new guidance for O-1 petitions provides a detailed overview of the different O-1 classifications: O-1A, O-1B Arts, and O-1B Motion Picture and Television (“MPTV”). The guidance also provides detailed standards for adjudicating O-1 petitions under each O-1 classification and the use of comparable evidence to satisfy one or more O-1 criterion.

For example, the…

As 2021 comes to an end, the White House and the Department of State have announced:

  1. South African Travel Restrictions Lifted.

The 14-day travel restrictions on southern African countries will be lifted as of midnight on December 31, 2021. Adopted on November 29th, the restrictions based on spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant…

More business immigrant visas may become available if the latest version of the Build Back Better reconciliation bill passes.

If approved by the Parliamentarian and passed as it stands, the bill would make more immigrant visas available by:

  • Recapturing unused visa numbers from 1992 to 2021;
  • Retaining the availability of Diversity Visas from fiscal

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In the past, the O-1 visa was how many foreign musicians and other artists were able to tour and work in the United States. Now, for many reasons, they may have to consider other strategies.

The O-1 visa category is for “artists of extraordinary ability” and obtaining O-1B visa status for foreign musicians has always…

In the competitive global video game industry, the United States remains at the forefront despite the recent rise in foreign gaming companies. Some of the most prestigious video gaming studios are located in the United States, and the battle among studios for elite talent to work on their breakout productions is fierce. Studios are forced…

When President Joe Biden revoked the immigrant visa ban, but not the nonimmigrant visa ban or 14-day travel restrictions, it seemed there might be problems ahead. New restrictions on National Interest Exceptions (NIEs) to the 14-day travel restrictions for the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Schengen Area have been issued, and many individuals currently in…