Sunday, February 26, 2023

Visa Bulletin April 2023 Predictions

For official March 2023 Visa Bulletin & Analysis, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-march-2023.aspx

Please see April 2023 Visa Bulletin Predictions below (for both Family Based and Employment Based categories for all countries):

Family Based:
Final Action Dates
Dates For Filing Applications
"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored
All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland
born
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F101FEB1501FEB1501FEB1515MAY0122APR12
F2ACCCCC
F2B01NOV1501NOV1501NOV1515JUN0101DEC11
F308DEC0808DEC0808DEC0808NOV9701JUL02
F415APR0715APR0708OCT0522AUG0022SEP02
"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored
All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland
born
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F115AUG1615AUG1615AUG1622JAN0308JUN15
F2ACCCCC
F2B08JAN1708JAN1708JAN1722JAN0208NOV13
F315NOV0915NOV0915NOV0922JUN0101DEC03
F408JAN0808JAN0815MAR0608APR0122MAY04



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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

USCIS Issues Clarifying Guidance for Individuals Authorized to Work Under Special Student Relief Provisions

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify the validity period of employment authorization for F-1 nonimmigrant students experiencing severe economic hardship due to emergent circumstances (also known as special student relief (SSR)) who are work authorized under the SSR provisions of 8 CFR.

The update clarifies that in cases of severe economic hardship due to emergent circumstances, we may grant off-campus SSR employment authorization to an F-1 nonimmigrant student for the duration of the Federal Register notice validity period. This employment authorization may not extend past the student's academic program end date. This update notes that we may i



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Monday, February 20, 2023

USCIS Updates Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) Age Calculation for Certain Adjustment of Status Applicants

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to update when an immigrant visa number "becomes available" for the purpose of calculating a noncitizen's age in certain situations under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA).

For a child to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States based on their parent's approved petition for a family-sponsored or employment-based visa, the child generally must be under the age of 21. If the child turns 21 and "ages out" during the immigration process, the child generally is no longer eligible to immigrate with the parent based on the parent's petition.

Congress enacted the CSPA to protect certain noncitizen children from losing eligibility to obtain lawful permanent re



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Saturday, February 18, 2023

Reminder to Submit All Required Initial Evidence and Supporting Documentation, including Form I-693, for Form I-485

Save time by filing all required initial evidence and supporting documentation listed under the "Checklist of Required Initial Evidence" heading at the same time you file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. (The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements). Submitting all required initial evidence and supporting documentation at the same time you file Form I-485 may eliminate the need for us to issue a Request for Evidence (RFE)to obtain additional evidence and documentation. This may also help avoid adjudication delays if we decide that you do not need to be interviewed.

In



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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Update to Filing Location for Form I-360 and Form I-485 for Self-Petitioning Abused Spouses, Children, and Parents

Starting February 10, 2023, self-petitioning abused spouses, children, and parents must file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, and Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, at the Nebraska Service Center instead of the Vermont Service Center.

If you are a Self-Petitioning Abused Spouse, Child, or Parent filing: Then mail your petition/application to:

Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian,



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Tuesday, February 14, 2023

March 2023 Visa Bulletin Analysis

For March 2023 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-march-2023.aspx

Please see below analysis of March 2023 Visa Bulletin:

Family Based:
Final Action Dates
Dates For Filing Applications
"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored
All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland
born
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2BNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F3No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F4No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored
All Chargeability
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland
born
INDIAMEXICOPHILIPPINES
F1No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2ANo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F2BNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F3No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change
F4No ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo ChangeNo Change



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March 2023 Visa Bulletin

For February 2023 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-february-2023.aspx

For analysis of March 2023 Visa Bulletin, please click here: https://www.mygcvisa.com/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-analysis-march-2023.aspx

March 2023 Visa Bulletin has been officially released (valid from March 1 to March 31 only). Please see below for more details.

Family Based:
Final Action Dates
Dates For Filing Applications
"Final Action Date" is the date when when USCIS/DOS may render their final decision on submitted applications. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored 
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-mainland 
born
INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES 
F1 01DEC14
01DEC14 01DEC14 01APR01 01MAR12
F2A C C C C C
F2B 22SEP15 22SEP15 22SEP15 01JUN01 22OCT11
F3 22NOV08 22NOV08 22NOV08 01NOV97 08JUN02
F4 22MAR07 22MAR07 15SEP05 01AUG00 22AUG02
"Date for Filing Application" is the date when you can submit I-485/NVC applications to USCIS/DOS. Your priority date should be before this date.
Family-
Sponsored 
All Chargeability 
Areas Except
Those Listed
CHINA-
mainland 
born
INDIA MEXICO PHILIPPINES 
F1 08AUG16 08AUG16 08AUG16 01DEC02 22APR15
F2A C C C C C
F2B 01JAN17 01JAN17 01JAN17 01JAN02 01OCT13
F3 08NOV09 08NOV09 08NOV09 15JUN01 08NOV03
F4 15DEC07 15DEC07 22FEB06 01APR01 22APR04



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Monday, February 13, 2023

USCIS Clarifies Physical Presence Guidance for Asylees and Refugees Applying for Adjustment of Status

Effective immediately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that both asylees and refugees must have been physically present in the United States for one year when we adjudicate their Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, rather than at the time they file their adjustment of status application. This applies to all Form I-485 and <a data-entity-substitution="canonical" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="1d9435a2-2832-4686-ae9b-7e74de11e



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Saturday, February 11, 2023

Cap Reached for Additional Returning Worker H-2B Visas for the First Half of FY 2023

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 18,216 H-2B visas made available for returning workers for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2023 with start dates on or before March 31, 2023, under the recently announced H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule. We continue to accept petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers for the additional 20,000 visas allotted for nationals of Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

We recently began accepting H-2B petitions under the Dec. 15 temporary final rule increasing the cap by up to 64,716 addition



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Wednesday, February 8, 2023

USCIS Redesigns Green Card and Employment Authorization Document

New Features Provide State-of-the-Art Security

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today new designs to improve security of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). USCIS will begin issuing the redesigned cards on Jan. 30, 2023.

The new Green Card and EAD designs contain state-of-the-art technology that continue to safeguard national security and improve service for our customers. Changes include improved detailed artwork; tactile printing that is better integrated with the artwork; enhanced optically variable ink; highly secure holographic images on the front and back of the cards; a layer-reveal feature with a partial window on the back photo box; and data fields displayed in different places than on previous versions.

"This r



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Monday, February 6, 2023

FY 2024 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 1

Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 17, 2023. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to complete and submit their registrations using our online H-1B registration system.

We will assign a confirmation number to each registration submitted for the FY 2024 H-1B cap. This number is used solely to track registrations; you cannot use this number to track your case status in Case Status Online. 

Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives are required to use a myUSCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated $10 H-1B registration fee



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Saturday, February 4, 2023

USCIS Releases New Strategic Plan Highlighting Long-Term Goals

WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today released its FY 2023-2026 Strategic Plan (PDF, 6.79 MB) (PDF, 6.78 MB), which provides a roadmap for the agency's workforce to better strengthen its capabilities and help the country reach its highest ideals. The plan is grounded in USCIS' longstanding purpose and core values in support of a meaningful commitment to make the United States a stronger, more inclusive, and welcoming nation.

"The work of USCIS makes the possibility of America a reality for immigrants from around the world, the communities and economies they join and support, and the nation as a



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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

DHS Announces Registration Process for Temporary Protected Status for Haiti

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today posted a Federal Register notice on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. The notice provides information about how to register or re-register for TPS under Haiti's extension and redesignation for an additional 18 months, from February 4, 2023, through August 3, 2024. Last month, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the 18-month extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS.

The registration process begins on January 26, 2023. All individuals who want to request TPS under th



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