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On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that certain refinements to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) would be taking effect immediately. Continue reading “DHS Announces Enhancements to the Visa Waiver Program”
In September 2014, we predicted the EB-5 visa category would retrogress sometime in the 2015 fiscal year. After all, Form I-526 filings have increased by over 500% over the last five years. And the EB-5 category for Chinese nationals became unavailable at the end of the 2014 fiscal year. Our hunch was confirmed by the Department of State (DOS) recently, when Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the DOS, predicted that the EB-5 immigrant visa category would retrogress as early as May 2015, but definitely sometime during the 2014-2015 fiscal year. Continue reading “Retrogression Alert Issued for EB-5 Category”
On September 12, 2014, the Department of State (DOS) announced fee changes for nonimmigrant and immigrant visa application fees for certain visa categories.
As background, all visa applicants must pay the fee amounts in effect on the day they pay, with the exception of Immigrant Visa application processing fees paid domestically to the National Visa Center (NVC). Continue reading “Department of State Announces Visa Fee Changes”
Today, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) issued the November 2014 Visa Bulletin. As was expected, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for people born in India retrogressed to February 15, 2005. Interestingly, the employment-based, third preference category moved forward across the board. EB3 India inched forward to November 22, 2003; EB3 China advanced to January 1, 2010; and EB3 for all other countries of chargeability moved to June 1, 2012. Continue reading “EB-2 India Retrogresses”
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”