How to Read the Visa Bulletin for Employment-Based Cases
The U.S. immigration law provides foreign nationals with a variety of ways to become lawful permanent residents (green card holders) through employment in the United States. These Employment-Based (EB) “preference immigrant” categories have three broad categories. Learn more about each and how you may be eligible.
FY2024 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Open Until November 8
The U.S. Department of State is accepting online applications for the FY2024 Diversity Visa lottery. The registration period opened on October 5 and will close at noon EDT on November 8. The Diversity Visa is an opportunity for foreign nationals from a list of qualifying countries that are under-represented in U.S. immigration to apply for a green card. A total of 55,000 green cards, or legal permanent resident status, are available each year, as outlined by U.S. Congress.
USCIS Extends Select COVID-19 Flexibilities
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the extension of select COVID-19 flexibilities for some requests, continuations, notices, and motions. The selected flexibilities extend to January 24, 2023.
DHS Designates Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Ethiopia has been designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. Only Ethiopian citizens already in the U.S. as of October 20, 2022, qualify.
DHS Extends Form I-9 Requirement Flexibility Through July 2023
The Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Form I-9 flexibility through July 2023. The current flexibilities were scheduled to end on October 31, 2022.
Basis of Asylum-Seeker Work Permit Lawsuit Challenged
A lawsuit filed to challenge Trump administration policies that delayed asylum-seekers work permit access should be eliminated, per the Biden administration. The basis of the claim is the policies enacted under President Trump are no longer in effect. Therefore, the very basis of the lawsuit no longer exists. And as such, the lawsuit should be dropped.
DHS Errors Stopped 63K Immigration Cases
Over 63,000 immigration cases were stopped in FY2022 due to alleged errors by border patrol agents. The claim states the agents did not file Notice to Appear (NTA) papers with the immigration court, as required. The finding, from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), found 63,586 pending immigration cases were tossed as some Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents failed to file the appropriate paperwork. TRAC states the information was gathered through a series of Freedom of Information Act requests.
Embassies in India Open the Additional 100,000 Visa Appointments
As previously noted, U.S. Embassies in India added an additional 100,000 appointments for H and L visas for first-time applicants. These appointments are now open. This is the first time since prior to the global pandemic that these appointments have been made available.
Biden DACA Rule Under Review
A federal judge is allowing current DACA holders to renew. However, the judge sent the Biden rule, scheduled to go into effect on October 31, 2022, for review as quickly as possible. As such, it is unlikely the Biden rule will go into effect on the date as previously planned.
DHS to Supplement H-2B Cap Visa with Nearly 65,000 Additional Visas for Fiscal Year 2023
The Department of Homeland Security with the Department of Labor announced the availability of an additional 65,000 H-2B Cap visas for the Fiscal Year 2023, which runs through September 30, 2023. Find out more.