By now most people are familiar with the concept of filing a downgrade application from EB-2 to EB-3. However, last October so many applicants filed downgrades, that the demand for EB-3 green cards, has far exceeded the number available, resulting in severe retrogression, especially for EB-3 India. In November 2021, EB-3 India dates retrogressed by...
How To Make An Interfile Request To Switch Employment Categories
Obtaining an interview at almost any consulate outside of the U.S. has been almost impossible due to the ongoing pandemic and as a result, many have been left unable to return to the U.S. To help facilitate the issuance of visas and clear the backlog, the Department of State announced that they would waive the...
Aug252021
Effective October 1, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will now require all applicants seeking permanent residence to complete the COVID-19 vaccine and provide documentation to the civil surgeon before completing their medical exam. This includes applicants filing for adjustment of status in the US and those applying via consular processing. However,...
For employment-based candidates, switching jobs during the green card process is possible, once the I-485, Supp J has been pending for 180 days, without having to go through the arduous PERM process and I-140 filing. The portability rules allow an applicant to switch jobs once the I-485 has been pending for 180 days as long...
Feb242021
PERM is an acronym for the “Program Electronic Review Management” system established under the Department of Labor (DOL) regulations. It is a critical component of the employment-based immigration process, as it initiates the journey toward lawful permanent residency for foreign nationals through employment. This process, which includes both PERMs and audits, is essential for ensuring...
DOL is publishing its Prevailing Wage Rule on January 14, 2021. This rule previously went into effect on October 8, 2020, without any notice and significantly increased the DOL wages. For further details of this rule please refer to our previous article, published on October 9, 2020. https://patel-law-group.local/dols-interim-final-rule-implements-higher-prevailing-wage-rates/ After the above rule was published, we...
USCIS recently updated its policy manual regarding the CSPA, to provide clarity on how it calculates a child’s age and the “sought to acquire requirement.” The CSPA provides age-out protection for children who are affected by the delay in adjudicating applications. Because of the long processing times the CSPA can prevent a child aging out...
As many of you are already aware, the delayed October 2020 visa bulletin is finally out and it is good news. This fiscal year, there are 261,500 employment-based visas, compared to the usual allotted 140,000. This is as a direct result of an infusion of the unused family-based numbers from FY2020. USCIS has also confirmed...