The Visa Waiver Program or ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is a program that allows citizens from certain countries (38 countries) to apply for admission to the U.S. using…
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On August 1, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security announced that temporary protected status (TPS) for Syrian nationals will be extended to March 31, 2021. Syrian nationals will be required…
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Despite the fact that the EB-5 investment immigration program has been renewed again, again, and again, every time it has come close to expiration without change, USCIS has finally published the long-waited updates to…
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To obtain an E-2 investor visa, an applicant must spend money in the U.S. The amount of the expenditures depends on the type of business and other factors (See more…
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One common question that comes up in relation to the O-1 visa is whether an applicant needs a job offer commanding a high salary, or in a case where the…
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On June 28, 2019, the new EB-5 rule has been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget’s review. The rule was originally sent to the OMB in February 2019.…
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One way to apply for an E-2 visa if you are in the U.S. is to file an I-129 form to change status. While most applicants apply for E-2 visas…
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When the U.S. citizen is living in the U.S. and the beneficiary (the person the U.S. Citizen will marry) is outside the U.S., the U.S. citizen can file an application…
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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 in almost any capacity. One is…
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USCIS have announced that they have plans to reassign some green card and naturalization cases from local field offices with long backlogs to those with fewer cases. Procedurally, USCIS has…
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The State Department announced on June 13, 2019 that, due to high demand, a cutoff date of May 1, 2017 will be applied for Indian EB-5 applications. Every year, Congress…
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USCIS has released data for the first half of fiscal year 2019 confirming that denial and RFE rates have continued to increase for nonimmigrant visa applications such as the H-1B,…
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USCIS announced that starting on June 10, 2019, it will accept premium processing requests for all remaining FY 2020 H-1B Cap cases. Premium processing costs $1410 and guarantees that USCIS will take…
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Starting on August 5, 2019, USCIS will reject any Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker that do not include the Petitioner or Applicant’s name and primary U.S. office address…
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On May 28, 2019, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. This Act would provide a path to permanent residence and citizenship for current…
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The U.S. Embassy in New Zealand announced that starting on June 10, 2019, eligible New Zealand companies and nationals will be able to apply for the E-1 Treaty Trader and…
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The Department of Homeland Security have submitted a proposal to charge an unknown amount of fee for companies registering foreign nationals for the upcoming H-1B cap online registration system. Starting…
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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 of social media information. The DS160…
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The U.S. Consulate in Toronto has changed its procedure for renewals of E-2 visas. If the applicant did not receive their initial visa in Toronto, the applicant can no longer…
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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 (8 U.S.C. 1183a)) that requires American…
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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 what red flags existed in their…
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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 a McAgreement with the McDonald’s chain…
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) petition and application fees will increase on June 24, 2019. Foreign nationals who enter the…
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USCIS have announced today that it has began to accelerate USCIS’ transition into a digital business model. Starting today, Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status can now be filed…
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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 with an I-485 petition. You can…
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