The Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives would revamp the existing employment-based (EB) preference system in a number of important ways. Proposed Changes to the EB Preference System 1) Increase in EB Numbers – The number of employment-based green cards would increase from 140,000 to 290,000 per year. 2) Recapture – Currently, […]
In our December 2009 newsletter, we explained how the employment-based immigration (EB immigrants) priority date system works. See: https://www.shusterman.com/newsletterusimmigrationdecember2009/#4 In this article, we provide you with materials which may make it easier for you to estimate when you will be able to adjust your status (AOS) and become a permanent resident. First of all, how many […]
On November 27, the USCIS announced that they had received 58,900 H-1B petitions toward the 65,000 cap. So there are 6,100 numbers remaining, correct? (Update: By December 4, the USCIS had received 61,100 H-1B petitions toward the 65,000 cap.) Not exactly. We have Free Trade Agreements with both Singapore and Chile which set aside 6,800 “H-1B1” numbers […]
Have you and your friends ever smoked marijuana? If you wish to immigrate, your visas are denied! Immigration attorneys are all too aware that U.S. immigration laws are so overly strict that our last three Presidents would all be ineligible to even visit our country, much less to qualify for green cards. Think I’m exaggerating? […]
The most common question we get from EB immigrants is “How long before I get my green card?” Currently, only persons with EB-3 priority dates before June 1, 2002 may apply for adjustment of status, a 7 1/2 year wait. If you were born in India, the wait is 8 1/2 years. See our “Visa […]
As we prepare to extend healthcare insurance to another 40 million people in the U.S., do we have enough physicians to care for them? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 25% of our population live in medically-underserved areas where there is less than one primary-care physician for every 3,500 […]
Is a person who was deported almost 30 years ago, and returned to the U.S. without inspection a year later subject to the permanent bar under the 1996 immigration law? The 1996 law created the permanent bar to immigrating to the U.S. Section 212(a)(9)(C)(i)(II) provides as follows: “(C) Aliens unlawfully present after previous immigration violations.- (i) […]
Last year, employers submitted so many H-1B petitions, the USCIS had to pick the winners by lottery. This year, seven months after the opening of the filing season that started on April 1st, the H-1B cap has yet to be reached. However, the numbers may not last long. During the first week of April, the USCIS […]
This blog post was originally published on Friday, October 2, 2009. The newly revamped USCIS website went online on September 22. It is definitely an improvement over the prior website. For example, it is geared to the person who needs information about immigration. On the left side of the screen appear the words “Where to […]
In 2009, a law was enacted which protects surviving family members when the petitioner or the principal beneficiary of an I-130 visa petition dies. Previously, the law provided that when the petitioner or the principal beneficiary died, so did the petition. There were few options for surviving relatives: For example, there is a section of the […]
