India is current as of the July Visa Bulletin, signaling the end of retrogression for the foreseeable future. The threat of retrogression – or visa backlogs – for Indian EB-5 investors generated anxiety for much of 2018 and 2019. Many investors raced to file before deadlines to head off potential backlogs. Many hesitated, fearing that the EB-5 Program would have the …
NOTE: On July 14, 2020, DHS rescinded its rule in face of multiple lawsuits. See update here. On Monday, the Student and Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) issued a new rule affecting international students as they prepare for the fall semester. According to the rule, foreign students on F-1 or M-1 visas may not remain in the US if they …
USCIS has published updated processing times for EB-5 related petitions. I-526 Petition: 29.5 to 61 months I-829 Petition: 25.5 to 47.5 months I-484 Application to Adjust Status: California Service Center – 7.5 to 29 months Nebraska Service Center – 8 to 13 months Texas Service Center – 7.5 to 29 months Vermont Service Center – …
Although historically it has been doubted that USCIS adhered to consistent first-in-first-out (FIFO) processing of I-526 petitions, this year USCIS expressly announced that effective March 31, 2020, it would process I-526 petitions on a new “visa availability” approach, i.e. EB-5 investors from countries impacted by retrogression would not have their I-526 petitions reviewed until a …
Recently, President Trump announced his intention to overhaul the US immigration system by shifting priority from family- and humanitarian-based immigration to skills- or employment-based immigration. A more detailed plan is expected in the weeks ahead, but several items outlined are similar to those found in the proposed 2017 RAISE Act, which purported to cut the …
