The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on July 7, 2023, the implementation of new family reunification parole (FRP) processes for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. These measures aim to reduce irregular migration and promote family unity by offering a lawful pathway for nationals of these countries whose family members are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent...
September 12, 2024 Based on recent sample case approvals, here is a processing time range for various categories. 1. Spouse of U.S. Citizen (I-130 and I-485 Combined) Case 1:Filed: 12/28/2023, Approved: 07/30/2024Total Time: 7 months Case 2:Filed: 04/12/2023, Approved: 06/12/2024Total Time: 14 months Case 3:Filed: 12/14/2023, Approved: 06/13/2024Total Time: 6 months Case 4:Filed: 01/27/2023,...
September 2023 September 2023 Visa Bulletin Highlights Family-Sponsored Second Preference (F2A) Retrogression: A significant update has been made regarding the F2A category. A cutoff date of 09/01/2023 has been assigned to the dates of filing chart. This indicates that I-485 based on F2A should be filed within this month, August 2023. Steady Employment-Based Number Use: Employment-based number...
Oftentimes, LGBT beneficiaries of family-based (I-130) and fiance(e) visa petitions (I-129F) may want to change the visa interview location where the safety of the LGBT applicant may be at issue. The Department of State understands these concerns and has provided the following procedure for changing venue. File I-130 or I-129F petition and designate the consular post in the beneficiary's home...
USCIS has announced new public charge rule to be published in the final register. The new rule tries to steer clear of being labeled a "wealth test". Non-cash benefits like SNAP, Child Health Insurance, most Medicaid, housing benefits, are no longer part of public charge determination. The final rule will be effective on Dec. 23, 2022, and will apply to applications postmarked (or...
Please follow the dates of filing chart for filing I-485 in October 2022. For EB2/EB3 China or India, it's about a month to 3 months difference compared to the final action chart.
On July 1, 2022, USCIS issued an update to its policy manual which clarified that Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries may be deemed eligible for adjustment of status to the extent that they meet the inspected and admitted requirement following a return from authorized travel. TPS beneficiaries who travel abroad temporarily, with the prior consent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security...
On May 5, 2022, USCIS announced changes to simplify and improve how the agency communicates case processing time data to the public. Users can now immediately find the processing time information for their particular type of case, rather than seeing an aggregate of all related case types. Additional changes include: Adding drop-down options for form categories will help narrow results to only...
Update July 7, 2022 USCIS has informed the public that some applicants may have received incorrect receipt notices showing the outdated 180-day automatic extension instead of the current 540-day automatic extension. The incorrect receipt notices were issued between May 4, 2022 and June 2, 2022. Affected applicants should be receiving the correct notices by the third week of July. Sample...
Update 10/20/2022 On 10/20/2022, USCIS extended this flexibility. If you're a healthcare/childcare worker and have a pending I-765 that has been pending for over 90 days, you may request expedited processing. See below for definitions of a healthcare/childcare worker. Original Post 12/28/2021 On December 28, 2021, USCIS issued guidance allowing healthcare workers to request expedited processing...
