Author: Mechelle Zarou

USCIS Now Using New Ink Color for Certain Documents Which May be Used for Form I-9

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has changed from red to blue the color ink it uses to stamp certain documents that could be used for I-9 purposes. This would be relevant, for instance, in a scenario where you have a high population of new hires that are refugees and they provide you with a refugee document. Reviewers should note that moving forward they may see government documents with stamps in blue, red and black ink and that, just because the ink color has changed, documents may still be valid. Continue reading “USCIS Now Using New Ink Color for Certain Documents Which May be Used for Form I-9”

EB-2 India: Retrogression Expected

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

The State Department has released the October Visa Bulletin showing the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) Category for India with a priority date of May 1, 2009. Based on current demand, it is expected that the priority date could retrogress as far back as 2005, possibly as early as November. The high number of Indian-born applicants “upgrading” their filings from EB-3 to EB-2 is a major factor in the impending retrogression. Continue reading “EB-2 India: Retrogression Expected”

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) FAQs and How To Guides Now Available in Multiple Languages

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

On September 15, 2014, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has released “Frequently Asked Questions” and “How Do I” guides for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Please visit Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals  and follow the links for the new multilingual guides. These may also be accessed in Spanish at www.uscis.gov/acciondiferida. Continue reading “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) FAQs and How To Guides Now Available in Multiple Languages”

Immigrant Visas for EB-5 China Depleted

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

EB-5 Immigrant Visas for Chinese nationals have been depleted through fiscal year 2014, but remain current for the new fiscal year beginning October 1. However, based on the assumption that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) will continue to approve EB-5 cases at the current rate, it is predicted that a cut-off date will be imposed during the second half of the fiscal year, possibly as early as May 2015. Continue reading “Immigrant Visas for EB-5 China Depleted”