December 2022 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released its December 2022 Visa Bulletin. Each month, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) chooses which chart it will follow to inform when intending immigrants may file their applications for adjustments of status or immigrant visas. View the full bulletin, here.
Potential Next Steps for Nonimmigrant Workers Affected by Recent Large-Scale Tech Layoffs
Tech giants such as Twitter, Meta, and Amazon, have laid off thousands of employees. This month alone, more than 24,000 tech workers have been laid off so far, bringing the number of tech layoffs this year to approximately 120,000, as calculated by layoffs.fyi. This abrupt change undoubtedly affects nonimmigrant workers who now contend with the possibility of having to leave the country. However, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) states that “nonimmigrant
DHS Continues Temporary Protected Status and Related Documentation for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua
In compliance with several court orders issued by federal district courts, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is automatically extending the validity of certain temporary protected status (TPS)-related documentation for beneficiaries under the TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal from the current expiration date of December 31, 2022, to June 30, 2024. DHS explained that beneficiaries under the TPS designations for El Salvador,
Foreign Students Severely Affected by ACICS Loss of Accreditation
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informed interested parties that the decision by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to no longer recognize the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency will affect two immigration-related student programs: English language study programs; as the programs are required to be accredited under the Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act F-1 students applying f
CIS Ombudsman Introduces Revised Form for Requesting Case Assistance
The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) released an updated Form 7001, Request for Case Assistance. The updated form, which expires on September 30, 2025, includes embedded instructions with questions, expanded and reorganized sections, detailed instructions on supporting documentation, and an option to include multiple employment-based beneficiaries on one case assistance request. CIS Ombudsman assists individuals and employers in res
SIMONE WILLIAMS RECEIVING WORK AUTHORIZATION APPROVALS FOR HER EB-5 INVESTOR CLIENTS IN 75 DAYS
Williams Global Law attorney, Simone Williams has been receiving work authorization approvals for her EB-5 investor clients in 75 days or less. One EB-5 client actually received her work authorization card in 68 days, after our firm filed her adjustment of status case.
The recently passed EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“RIA”) now allows for "concurrent filing" - which means that EB-5 investors may file their EB-5 petition (Form I-526) and at the same time file their
DHS Releases List of Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Programs, Adds Eswatini
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), announced the lists of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the next year. The notice listing the eligible countries was published in the Federal Register on November 10, 2022. Each country’s designation is valid from November 10, 2022, until November 9, 2023. Effective November 10, 2022, DHS decided to add the Kingdom of Eswati
