Yet again, the House and Senate have passed and sent to the White House a continuing resolution that prevented a government shutdown and extended the EB-5 Regional Center Program until March 23, 2018.  Invest in the USA (IIUSA), the national membership-based industry trade association for the EB-5 Regional Center Program, noted in a statement that the continuing resolution provides much-needed time to reach an agreement on a permanent EB-5 program fix: » Read More

The U.S. State Department announced Sunday the suspension of all non-immigrant visa processing at American Embassies and Consulates across Turkey.

In an October 8th Twitter post, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, wrote that the suspension was effective immediately.  The Embassy’s tweet did not report when the State Department would lift the suspension. » Read More

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, without opinion, voted to temporarily uphold the travel ban on a majority of people who had been granted refugee status in the United States and were scheduled to be placed with an American resettlement agency.  Nothing else is known about the vote or breakdown within the Court, other than that at least five justices voted in favor of continuing the ban. » Read More

In response to the Russian decision to cap the number of employees at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia, the State Department has temporarily halted the processing of non-immigrant visa applications in Russia. This decision impacts many non-immigrant travelers to the United States, including those seeking to visit for a short period, multinational executives and managers, professional and skilled employees, students seeking F-1 student visas, and others who seek to enter the United States as non-immigrants. » Read More

Responding to a federal district court order judicially expanding those excluded from the Administration’s Travel Ban, the United States Department of State issued guidance on Monday expanding the definition of “family” under the Executive Order banning certain visa applicants and refugees from six countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. » Read More

American Embassies and Consulates from London to Lisbon to Lebanon and beyond have put into effect the Trump Administration’s determination to implement global extreme vetting for foreign nationals applying for permission to enter the United States. » Read More

For the 5th consecutive year, the cap was reached in the first week for the H-1B visa, which is the prototypical visa for educated employees wishing to come to the U.S. to work in specialized jobs. In other words, there are 85,000 H-1B visas allowed each year, and the number of applications exceeded that amount in 5 days.   » Read More

More companies are using the H-1B visa to hire and retain foreign workers. It allows workers to maintain their permanent residence outside the United States while continuing employment here. However, H-1B visas are capped at 65,000 per fiscal year, which makes them very competitive and difficult to secure. » Read More

The U.S. government understands that relationships do not always adhere to the limits of national borders. If you and a foreign citizen wish to get married and reside together inside the United States, you must follow the strict set of laws that allow you to start the visa application process. » Read More

With over 100 visa types available to those looking to enter the United States on a permanent basis, it’s no wonder the immigration process can be extremely confusing for even the most knowledgeable prospective visa holders. Fortunately, a basic understanding of the different immigrant visas available can be gained from dividing the different types into more manageable categories. » Read More