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Public Charge Rule Updates and Other U.S. Immigration Changes Due to COVID-19
No one can deny that this year has been full of uncertainty and changes because of the pandemic. I cannot think of one sector or industry that has not been affected in one way or another, including our U.S. immigration system. Many changes have happened and as attorneys, we have had to navigate our way through these unprecedented times staying up to date on current events and how they will be affecting our clients’ cases. Within our immigration system, there are many different areas. For example, we have the immigration courts, the U.S. Department of State, USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), and the National Visa Center (NVC). Because of…
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What You Need to Know About the New Public Charge Rule Effective 10/14/2019
**UPDATE: On October 11, 2019, federal judges in New York and California ordered a nationwide block, which prevented the rule from going into effect. On January 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that this rule can go into effect. USCIS announced that they will begin implementing this rule starting February 24, 2020. A major change is happening starting on October 14, 2019, for those applying or adjustment of status (green card), change of status, and extension of status. Applicants will have to prove that they are self-sufficient and will not become a public charge. In other words, people who are applying for a green card, change of status,…
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June 2019 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State publishes a visa bulletin every month that shows where they are in the process of issuing green cards. This bulletin allows people to see how long it could be before a visa becomes available for them to be able to apply for their green cards. The reason that this bulletin exists is that there is a cap on the number of green cards that are issued each year. This amount has not been increased in decades, and the number of people who have applied to get a green card has far exceeded the number of visas available, which has created a backlog. For certain types…
