Immigration Blog

Starting August 19, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting online applications for its new Parole in Place program, introduced under the “Keeping Families Together” initiative. This program is designed to assist non-citizen spouses and stepchildren who entered the U.S. without proper admission or parole. By granting temporary Parole in Place, these individuals...

Job creation is central to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program because it aligns with the US government’s goal of stimulating economic growth through foreign investment. The program requires each EB-5 investment to result in the creation of at least ten full-time jobs for US citizens or green card holders within a minimum two-year timeframe. Part-time...

This article initially set out to compare the pros and cons of filing an Immigrant Petition for a foreign national spouse (Form I-130) versus a fiancé(e) visa (Form I-129F). However, while reviewing the estimated processing times on the USCIS website, the path is no longer clear.  In general, fiancé(e) visas had a shorter processing time,...

Using proceeds from a property sale is a viable strategy for meeting the EB-5 investment requirements. Here’s how investors can leverage this method:  Property Valuation and Sale:  Obtain a professional and accurate appraisal of the property to determine the market value of the property  Engage with a real estate professional to list and sell the...

The Foreign Labor Application Gateway, commonly known as FLAG, is the centralized hub for all immigration-related processes concerning employment-based applications, including PERM processing. FLAG serves as a comprehensive platform for submitting and managing prevailing wage requests, Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), and other essential immigration documentation.  FLAG recently updated its processing times and unfortunately, they remain...

In June we reported that the Biden administration had announced a parole-in-place program to help unite families.  This new initiative aimed to benefit those married to a U.S. Citizen who had entered without admission or parole and had continuously resided in the U.S. for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024. Although precise...

Ever since USCIS revoked its 2010 policy memorandum for determining the employer/employee relationship, I strongly believe that sponsoring your own H-1B visa is possible. However, many have been reluctant to attempt this, and for good reasons. For a long time, USCIS required petitioners to meet multiple criteria to demonstrate the existence of an employer/employee relationship,...

 Since the passage of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act in March 2022, EB-5 investors are allowed to file Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) concurrently with Form I-526 or I-526E, provided a visa would be immediately available to them upon petition approval. This means that if the investor’s priority date...