The November visa bulletin was just released and has left many applicants disappointed, especially those who filed a downgrade from EB-2 to EB-3. However, this was to be expected, based on Charlie Oppenheim’s comments during his last YouTube video, as well as the comments at the bottom of last month’s visa bulletin. Charlie confirmed, during…
Category Archives: Blogs
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AILA Files Lawsuit Claiming H-4 And L-2 EAD Should Qualify For 180- day Automatic Extension
USCIS processing times continue to increase for the majority of applications and have only been made worst by the ongoing pandemic, resulting in the agency being heavily understaffed. This is especially true for H-4 and L-2 EAD applicants. Because of the long processing times and the fact that these categories of work authorization are not…
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Biden Administration To Lift Travel Ban And Allow Vaccinated Travelers To Enter The U.S.
For the past 18 months, COVID-19 had wreaked havoc all over the world and has limited the entry of certain travelers into the U.S. With Consulate closures and travel bans, entering the U.S. has been particularly difficult for non-immigrants, especially those who require visa stamping. With limited appointments available and often the need to apply…
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USCIS Extends Validity Of I-751 And I-829 Receipt Notices From 18 To 24 Months
Another action by USCIS demonstrates that current processing times are becoming increasingly protracted. Effective September 4, 2021, USCIS announced that to accommodate current processing times for I-751 and I-829 petitions, they are increasing the validity of the receipt notices from 18 months to 24 months. Applicants who obtain a green card through a marriage where…
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Department of State Releases October Visa Bulletin and Predictions For Coming Months
Last year’s October visa bulletin saw significant forward movement in dates, especially for EB-3 India, because of the large number of additional employment-based visas that were left over from the family-based preferences. However, this year’s October visa bulletin is far less impressive. See the link below: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2022/visa-bulletin-for-october-2021.html At the start of each fiscal year, USCIS…
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Applicants must call USCIS to reschedule biometrics
USCIS has now closed its Biometrics Processing Unit (BPU) in Alexandria, VA and therefore it is no longer possible to reschedule your biometrics in writing. If you cannot make your biometrics appointment you will need to call USCIS to reschedule this. You can contact USCIS by calling the contact center at 800-375-5283, however, you must…
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The Importance Of Maintaining F-1 Status
Students on F-1 status need to ensure they maintain status. A failure to maintain status could result in a violation which could have an impact on their immigration future. At PLG we often see requests for evidence questioning maintenance of status for F-1 students, who have submitted an H-1B cap petition requesting a change of…
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Continuous Residence And Prolonged Absences
In this article, we will discuss the continuous residence requirement as it relates to filing an application for Naturalization. For the full requirements for Naturalization please refer to our previous article: https://www.patellegal.com/naturalization-the-final-step-in-the-immigration-process/ The concept of continuous residence refers to the applicant maintaining a permanent dwelling place in the US, typically for a period of 5…
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DHS Withdraws Its Duration Of Status Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now withdraw its duration of status rule. Students have for a long time had the benefit of being admitted for the duration of status. In other words, unlike other nonimmigrants, they are not admitted for a specific length of time. This flexibility has allowed them to extend their…
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Conservatorship Basics
Divorce is already difficult enough but things can become considerably more challenging when the fight is over children. This is especially true when the parents simply have no experience with the legal system and no idea what of their potential fates could be. This brief overview is in no way intended to be exhaustive in…