The U.S. Senate passed a Bill on Wednesday which, among other things, allows its immigration agency to quickly process more visa categories, including employment authorization documents and certain green card categories. As an emergency stopgap measure, this bill would temporarily forestall the need for furloughs by immediately increasing USCIS “premium processing” revenues. Premium processing is a special service currently available as an option to entities and individuals seeking employment-based immigration benefits. By paying the optional

USCIS announced in late August that it will begin rejecting all initial or first-time applications from immigrants who have never previously received DACA, with the ability to reapply when they begin accepting requests sometime in the future. The memo stated it will continue to accept requests from those who had been granted DACA at any time in the past, considering requests for advance parole that are properly submitted only on a case-by-case basis. The memo

Immigration fuels the economy. When immigrants enter the labor force, they increase the productive capacity of the economy, raising GDP. Their incomes rise, but so do those of natives, a phenomenon called the “immigration surplus”. While a small share of additional GDP accrues to natives, this surplus still amounts to $36 to $72 billion per year. In fact, immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy in many ways. They work at high rates and make up

Restrictions on Visas  On April 20th, The Administration signed the first executive order to temporarily block the issuance of green cards to those outside the United States, but the measure included numerous exemptions, like those for overseas spouses and young children of American citizens. The order, which would be in place for at least 60 days, affect many seeking to immigrate to the United States. Under the measure, a diversity visa lottery that issues about 50,000 visas each year was

The coronavirus outbreak has led to a massive disruption of everyday life across the globe. Immigration has been affected, including to the United States. Consulates, embassies, and domestic U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) field offices have temporarily shut down, and many international borders are closing. You may be wondering how these changes will impact your green card or naturalization application. It is important to note that even though the offices are closed to the