US Immigration Blog by former INS Trial Attorney Carl Shusterman. How to get a temporary working visa, a green card and U.S. citizenship.
On May 10, the USCIS issued a policy memorandum which tightens the rules which define unlawful presence for students. The new rule took effect on August 9, 2018. In order to explain what the rule means, it is best to start by explaining the unlawful presence bars which originated in the 1996 immigration law. The law provides […]
The State Department released the April Visa Bulletin today. All of the worldwide categories remain current (no backlogs). The April Visa Bulletin contains some very significant retrogressions and advancements in the employment-based categories. The EB-1 category for persons born in China and India went from being current in March back to January 1, 2012 in […]
H-1B Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Cap Season The congressionally mandated number for H-1B cap cases is 65,000 H-1B regular cap and 20,000 H-1B master’s exemptions. Please note that up to 6,800 visas are set aside from the 65,000 each fiscal year for the H-1B1 program for citizens of Chile and Singapore. When should you […]
On September 5, the Trump Administration announced the end of DACA a program which has shielded 690,000 young people who were brought to the US as children from deportation for the past 5 years. The USCIS will no longer accept new applications for DACA or issue advance parole travel permits. However, for a brief period […]
Recently, the Administration received a letter essentially saying End DACA or we will sue you!E Although many people see President Trump as the most anti-immigrant President in recent history, to others, he is not anti-immigrant enough. In a memo issued on June 15, 2017, DHS Secretary John Kelley rescinded the Obama Administration’s memorandum expanding the […]
Avvo.com is an expert-only Q&A forum where people can ask legal questions of lawyers, for free. The Q&A forum is backed by an online directory of lawyers licensed in the United States. Avvo provides listings to which attorneys can submit their own profiles and histories. The listings may also include client reviews, disciplinary actions, and […]
Within the next few days, we will be rolling out our new website. Originally created in 1995, our website aims to educate people around the world about how to visit, study and work in the United States. In 1996, we launched Shusterman’s Immigration Update, the most popular free immigration newsletter in the world with 60,000 subscribers. A few […]
Illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexican border have diminished greatly. The Administration’s DACA policy has saved hundreds of thousands of young people from possible deportation. The GOP is pressing for deep cuts in the federal budget. So why is ICE locking up more persons than ever before, and spending much more money than in previous years? […]
On September 13, the California State Legislature passed a bill which would enable undocumented immigrants to apply for California State Driver’s Licenses. The State Senate passed the bill, AB60, by a 28-8 vote while the Assembly’s vote was 55-19. Governor Jerry Brown has indicated that he will sign the bill into law. The driver’s licenses […]
The September 2013 Visa Bulletin is like an early Christmas gift come early for thousands of family-based and employment-based immigrants. On the family side, the 2A category (spouses and children of permanent residents) remains current (no backlogs) for a second month in a row. The retrogression is bound to start come October so the time […]
