On November 8, 2016, the Department of State (DOS) released its December 2016 Visa Bulletin. The December 2016 Visa Bulletin contains application final action dates and dates for filing for immigrant visas in both the family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa preference categories. In this article, we will provide the relevant charts from both the DOS Visa Bulletin and the USCIS for those seeking immigrant visas in the preference categories. We also review the DOS's projections for movement in upcoming Visa Bulletins.
November 8, 2016, will be forever remembered in American history as the day that Donald J. Trump became the President-Elect of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton in what was perhaps the most dramatic upset in a Presidential election since President Harry Truman defeated then New York-Governor Thomas Dewey in 1948. In this article, I will offer my analysis of the election results.
Thirteen former Immigration Judges (IJs) and members of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Jeh Johnson, stating concerns with regard to the current immigration detention system and policies. The letter does not only include critiques of the problems, but also proposes remedies. In this article, we will briefly examine the criticisms and proposed solutions included in the letter.
Submitted by Eliza Grinberg on November 7, 2016 - 6:44pm
Starting on November 1, 2016, the USCIS will centralize the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program. The USCIS will process Form I-360 petitions and Form I-485 immigrant visa applications for the SIJ program at one location, the National Benefits Center (NBC). However, the USCIS will retain discretion to require in-person interviews at local field offices. SIJ-based petitions and applications filed before November 1 will be adjudicated by the field office that has jurisdiction.
With the 2016 election fast approaching, it is time to wrap up my series of blog posts on immigration issues and the election. To cap off the series, I will offer my proverbial endorsements for the President, Senate, and U.S. House while highlighting a few key races of national importance. After the election, I will finish the series with a post on the results and what they mean in the immigration context going forward.
On October 17, 2016, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Jeh Johnson, released a statement on southwest border security. The statement includes border security statistics as well as notes about recent immigration events. Finally, because Secretary Johnson’s tenure will likely come to an end with the conclusion of President Barack Obama’s term in office, he offered his hopes for the future of immigration law and border security going forward. In this post, I will examine each of the three aforementioned parts of Secretary Johnson’s statement on border security.
On October 18, 2016, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released its most recent processing times information for the National Benefits Center (NBC). This processing time information reflects processing times as of August 31, 2016. The average processing times are designed to give persons who have filed benefit requests with the NBC an idea of when these requests may be fully adjudicated.
In this article, I will provide an overview of the debate on immigration in the final Presidential debate of 2016. In addition, I will discuss some other news and notes regarding the election, and explain how I intend to wrap up my series of blog posts on election issues and immigration.
On October 11, 2016, the Department of State (DOS) released the November 2016 Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin contains application final action dates and dates for filing in the family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa preference categories.
