USCIS Releases New Immigrant Investor Form

We have published Form I-956K, Registration for Direct and Third-Party Promoters. The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 added the requirement for direct and third-party promoters to register with USCIS.

Each person acting as a direct or third-party promoter (including migration agents) of the following must complete Form I-956K:

• A regional center;
• A new commercial enterprise;
• An affiliated job-creating entity; or
• An issuer of securities intended to be offered to immigrant investors in connection with a particular capital investment project.

There is no filing fee for

USCIS Issues Proposed Rule to Adjust Certain Immigration and Naturalization Fees

WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees. The new fees would allow USCIS to more fully recover its operating costs, reestablish and maintain timely case processing, and prevent the accumulation of future case backlogs. USCIS receives approximately 96 percent of its funding from filing fees, not from congressional appropriations.

The proposed fee rule is the result of a comprehensive fee review at USCIS. That review determined that the agency's current fees, which have remained unchanged since 2016, fall far short of recovering the full cost of agency operations. USCIS generally publishes a fee rule biennially, and proposes these changes to account for the expansion of humanitarian programs, federally mandated pay rai

Secretary Mayorkas Extends and Redesignates Temporary Protected Status for Yemen

Redesignation Allows Additional Eligible Yemeni Nationals to Apply for TPS and Employment Authorization Documents

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen for 18 months, from March 4, 2023, through Sept. 3, 2024, due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Yemeni nationals from safely returning to their country. In addition, DHS announced a redesignation of Yemen for TPS for the same reasons, allowing Yemeni nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Yemen) residing in t

Visa Bulletin February 2023 Predictions

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

Please see February 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	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
F1	01FEB15	01FEB15	01FEB15	22DEC00	22APR12
F2A	C	C	C	C	C
F2B	01NOV15	01NOV15	01NOV15	22JUN01	01DEC11
F3	08DEC08	08DEC08	08DEC08	08NOV97	01JUL02
F4	15APR07	15APR07	08OCT05	15SEP00	22SEP02

"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	15AUG16	15AUG16	15AUG16	01FEB03	08JUN15
F2A	C	C	C	C	C
F2B	08JAN17	08JAN17	08JAN17	01FEB02	08NOV13
F3	15NOV09	15NOV09	15NOV09	08JUL01	01DEC03
F4	08JAN08	08JAN08	15MAR06	22MAY01	01MAY04

Options for Nonimmigrant Workers Following Termination of Employment

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is providing information for nonimmigrant workers whose employment has terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. These workers may have several options for remaining in the United States in a period of authorized stay based on existing rules and regulations.

Below is a compilation of options that may be available to nonimmigrant workers seeking to remain in the United States in a period of authorized stay following termination. Please note that not all options below provide employment authorization.

60-Day Grace Period

Regulations permit a discretionary grace period that allows workers in E-1, E-2, E-3, H-1B,
H-1B1, L-1, O-1, or TN classifications (and their dependents) to be considered as having maintained status following the cessation of employment for up to 60 consecutive calendar

DHS’s Public Charge Final Rule Goes into Effect on Dec. 23

On Dec. 23, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility final rule will go into effect. This final rule, which was previously announced, provides clarity and consistency for noncitizens on how DHS will administer the public charge ground of inadmissibility. This final rule restores the historical understanding of a "public charge" that had been in place for decades before the previous administration began to consider supplemental public health benefits such as Medicaid and nutritional as

USCIS Announces Trial for Updates to the Naturalization Test

Federal Register Notice Published Today Announces Nationwide Trial

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to conduct a trial for updates to the current naturalization test. The naturalization test has four components: reading, writing, civics, and ability to speak English. The reading and writing portions of the naturalization test are standard. The purposes of the trial are to test a civics component with updated format and content and a newly developed English-speaking component that could become standard.

Preside