State Department Public Charge Regulations Postponed
The State Department's new public charge rules that was originally set up take effect on October 15 has now been postponed. These new rules [...]
New Health Insurance Requirements on Immigrant Visa Applicants
Starting on November 3, 2019, immigrant visa applicants at U.S. Consulates abroad must prove either that they will acquire approved health insurance within thirty [...]
What is PIMS? What Happens if My Visa Approval is Not in PIMS?
PIMS (Petition Information Management Service) is an electronic system that provides U.S. consular posts with notification of non-immigrant visa petition approvals. It is the [...]
Will filing an immigrant petition impact my E-2 renewal? Is an E-2 visa a dual intent visa? Can I Renew my E-2 visa if I file an I-140 petition?
An E-2 visa is not a dual intent visa but it is about as close to a dual intent visa as you can get. [...]
State Department Issues Public Charge Regulations that Align with DHS Rules
The State Department published new public charge rules that will take effect on October 15. These new rules largely mirror the Department of Statement’s [...]
New York Judge Issues Nationwide Preliminary Injunction to Block New Public Charge Rule
Today, a New York District judge issued a preliminary injection against the new “public charge” rules, preventing it from coming into effect on October [...]
I am a U.S. citizen, which members of my family can I sponsor for a green card? Who are my immediate relatives? Can my immediate relatives get a green card?
If you are a U.S. citizen, you can sponsor certain family members for a green card. There are two categories of family members you [...]
Can I apply for the Diversity Lottery While on an E-2 visa? Will the Diversity Lottery impact my visa? Can I apply for the diversity lottery?
The diversity lottery gives 50,000 people from different countries the opportunity to get a green card. You can find out more about the Diversity [...]
FY 2021 Diversity Visa Lottery Opens October 2
Starting from noon EST on October 2, 2019, the State Department will begin accepting online registration for Fiscal Year 2020 Diversity Visa lottery here. Foreign [...]
October 2019 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 and EB-3 Visas Now Current for Most Countries.
In the recently published October visa bulletins, EB-2 and EB-3 visas are now current for most countries expect for Mainland China, India, and the [...]
What is VAWA and how could I qualify?
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a law that protects the rights of domestic violence survivors. Within the immigration field, it has allowed [...]
Am I a victim for purposes of the U visa? U visas for bystanders or indirect victims
The U Nonimmigrant status, also known as U visa, is designed to encourage immigrant community members to report crimes to law enforcement. The U [...]
DHS Proposes New Rule to Collect Social Media Information from Immigrant Applicants
The Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule to collect five years of social media history from applicants of certain immigration benefits, including [...]
What is the U visa and how could I qualify?
The U Nonimmigrant status, also known as U visa, as designed to encourage immigrant community members to report crimes to law enforcement. Immigrant individuals, [...]
I am the victim of a crime and will apply for a U visa. What happens to my family members? Can they benefit as well?
The U Nonimmigrant status, also known as U visa, is designed to encourage immigrant community members to report crimes to law enforcement. The U [...]
I was a victim of a crime at work, can I qualify for a U visa?
The U Nonimmigrant status, also known as U visa, is designed to encourage immigrant community members to report crimes to law enforcement. Immigrants are [...]
USCIS Provides New Definition for Residency for Citizenship Applications. Children of U.S. Government Employees and Military Stationed Overseas No Longer Considered Residents
If you are a U.S. citizen and your child was born outside the U.S., your child may acquire U.S. citizenship at birth. However, simply [...]
B-2 Extension of Status Approval for a Cohabiting Family Member of a Temporary Worker
We just had an B-2 extension of status application approved with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. The applicant was granted a six month extension of B-2 [...]
H-1B approval for a Change of Status from H-4 to H-1B for a Consumer goods Company
We just had an H-1B approval with U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services for a software developer at a consumer goods company. The employee changed [...]
EB-3 Visas Unavailable Through to September 30
The EB-3 Employment-based immigration visa will be unavailable through to September 30, 2019 for all applicants worldwide. This is a result of the visa [...]
September 2019 Visa Bulletin: Further Retrogression for EB-1 and EB-3 Visas for China and India, big advance for EB-5 India
Every year, Congress sets limits on the number of immigrant visas that can be issued each year. In order to adjust status to that [...]
TN Visa Approval for Software Engineer for a National of Canada
We just had a TN approval for a software engineer who will be joining a startup company based in California in the role of [...]
USCIS No Longer Accepting Abandonment of Green Card Status at International Field Offices
A “green card” or permanent resident card is a document that shows a that a person can stay in the U.S. and work here [...]
USCIS to Decrease Wait Times for Green Card and Naturalization Wait Times
USCIS have announced that they have plans to reassign some green card and naturalization cases from local field offices with long backlogs to those [...]
Proposed H-1B Cap Registration Fee Under Review
The Department of Homeland Security have submitted a proposal to charge an unknown amount of fee for companies registering foreign nationals for the upcoming [...]
Five Years of Social Media Information Now Required for Visa Applications
Last week, the U.S. Department of State updated the DS160 and DS260 forms to include a question asking for the applicant’s last 5 years [...]
White House Issues Strict Enforcement of Sponsor Laws
The White House has issued a memo on May 23 ordering different government departments to enforce a decades-old law (Section 213A of the INA [...]
How do I make sure my E-2 case is strong enough? What are some things that Consulates view as red flags in an E-2 application?
Scott Legal recently consulted with a client who wanted to know if their E-2 application was strong enough to submit to the Consulate and [...]
One McPassport with a Side Order of Fries to Go, Please!
In lighthearted and joyous news today, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna has announced on Facebook that the U.S. Ambassador to Austria, Trevor Traina, signed [...]
Can I quit my current job and start working at another employer while my I-485 is pending? Can I use my approved EAD to work at another employer?
Many employment based green card applications are processed while an applicant is on an H-1B visa. This usually involves filing an I-140 petition along [...]
White House Announces New Immigration Plan
The Trump Administration have announced on May 16, 2019 that it has created a plan to reform the U.S. immigration system. Specific details of [...]
FY 2020 Diversity Visa Winners Selected
U.S. Statement Department have announced that they have chosen the winners of the FY 2020 Diversity Visa Lottery. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program makes [...]
What happens if the Petitioner of an I-130 petition dies before beneficiary gets a green card? Can a beneficiary still get a green card if a Relative dies?
If you are a U.S. citizen or a green card holder, you can file form I-130 and sponsor certain family relatives for a green [...]
White House issue Memo Regarding Non-Immigrant Visa Overstays
A Presidential Memorandum was released on April 22 directing the Departments of State and Homeland Security to recommend ways to reduce the number of [...]
I was selected in a Diversity Visa Lottery. How do I qualify for the Diversity Lottery Green Card? What documents do I need to submit for the Diversity Lottery?
If you receive notification from the Electronic Diversity Visa Website that you have been selected in the Diversity Visa Program, you must complete numerous [...]
