The State Department has released the November Visa Bulletin. As noted last month, EB-2 India retrogressed due to heavy demand. The current EB-2 cut-off date is now February 15, 2005, retrogressing from May 1, 2009 (a total of over 4…
Blog Archives
New E-Verify Tool for Employees
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduces myE-Verify, a new online tool which gives workers the ability to create and manage secure accounts when participating in the E-Verify program. It will be initially available in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi,…
USCIS Introduces Form I-9 Webinar On-Demand
On September 25, 2014, USCIS published the first Form I-9 Webinar On-Demand. Now you can watch the free Form I-9 webinar at any time. Choose the chapters of your choice or watch the entire 22 minute video in one sitting.…
14 Ports of Entry Designated for Optimized Processing of First-Time Canadian TN & L-1 Applicants
Beginning in mid-September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is optimizing processing for first-time Canadian TN and L applicants seeking entry into the United States under NAFTA. CBP has designated ports of entry that will ensure a more efficient approach…
October 2014 Visa Bulletin Is Out: EB-2 India Retrogression Anticipated
The State Department released the October Visa Bulletin. EB-3 (excluding India and mainland China) advances by 6 months, while EB-3 mainland China advances by 5 months. The State Department also notes that: INDIA Employment-based Second Preference: Increased demand will require…
Special Ebola Outbreak-Related Immigration Relief Measures
USCIS offers special immigration relief to Nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, who are currently in the United States, in connection with the Ebola Outbreak. Immigration relief measures that may be available if requested include: • Change or extension…
UPDATE: DOS and CBP Issue Procedures to Facilitate Travel for Visa Applicants Affected by CCD Outages
Following the global systems-wide “crash” of the State Department’s (DOS) Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) (a system critical to visa issuance operations), there have been widespread delays in nonimmigrant visa issuance worldwide. As a result, in conjunction with the DOS, U.S.…
Update on the Passport and Visa System Technical Problems
The Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Consular Affairs has been experiencing technical problems with its passport/visa system since July 19th. This issue is worldwide and is not specific to any particular country, citizenship document, or visa category. This systems…
July 2014 Visa Bulletin Is Out: EB-2 India Takes the Spotlight
Today, the State Department released the July Visa Bulletin, which brings good news for EB-2 India. After 6 months of inactivity, cut-off dates for EB-2 India advanced by over 3.5 years, from November 15, 2004 to September 1, 2008. #immigrationupdates…
Visa Processing in Canada for Third Country Nationals (TCN) "Extremely Limited"
The Department of State (DOS) has advised that due to increasingly heavy demand by Canada-based visa applicants, the seven U.S. consulates/embassy in Canada are extremely limited in their ability to accept TCN cases during the peak demand period of June,…
