Categories Department of State News & Updates USCIS Visa Bulletin

Will Congress Reduce Green Card Backlogs?

On December 7, 2022, the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on H.R. 3648, the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, but the vote has reportedly been pushed into next week. The EAGLE Act proposes a number of changes to the employment-based immigration system in an effort to alleviate the immigrant visa backlog, including eliminating the “per country” limitation on employment-based immigrant visas, or green cards, over a nine-year transition period. This will be particularly beneficial to green card applicants born in China and India who are subject to the longest employment-based immigrant visa backlogs.

 

The Act also aims to permit foreign nationals who have been waiting in the immigrant visa backlog for two years to file green card applications and reserve a certain amount of green cards for nurses and physical therapists.

 

A number of immigration advocacy groups have also come out in support of the EAGLE Act since it was first introduced last year. Earlier this week, the White House issued a statement in support of passage of the EAGLE Act. In a statement released by the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management & Budget, the Administration confirmed that it “supports House passage of H.R. 3648, the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, and its goal of allowing U.S. employers to focus on hiring immigrants based on merit, not their birthplace, by eliminating the “per country” limitation on employment-based immigrant visas (green cards).”

 

However, some advocacy groups feel that eliminating per-country limitations could negatively impact countries that have not historically experienced long waits for the green card. In an email newsletter this week, ILW.com opposed H.R. 3748, noting that passage of the law would increase the green card wait time for countries other than India and China by about 15 years and adversely impact the EB5 Immigrant Investor Program. The American Immigration Lawyers Association has also spoken out against H.R. 3748 stating that, “the EAGLE Act does not strike the right balance of eliminating per-country limitations without adversely impacting others. Therefore, AILA does not support the bill’s passage and urges Congress to find an equitable solution for all individuals waiting for lawful permanent residence.”

 

Graham Adair is monitoring the situation closely and will provide an update should the EAGLE Act be put to a vote next week. 

Categories Department of State News & Updates USCIS Visa Bulletin

UPDATE: October Visa Bulletin Surge Coincides with Increased Fees

As an update to our news alert from yesterday, USCIS initially indicated that it would use the Final Action Dates chart as it normally does. However, later in the day USCIS updated its filing notice website to indicate that it would actually accept cases filed under the Dates for Filing chart.

 

This is significant because many categories surged forward from the Final Action Dates chart in September to the Dates for Filing Chart for October. For EB-3 India, this meant a move of approximately 5 years. EB-1 for China and India moved about 2.5 years.

 

This movement provides many additional applicants to file applications for Adjustment of Status in October. We anticipate that USCIS will receive an unusually high volume of cases within this short 30-day window. This will likely result in processing delays as USCIS assimilates these cases. Of particular consequence, this could mean significant delays in the issuance of cards for EAD work authorization and advance parole for travel.

 

We are in the process of contacting clients who are eligible to file in October. Please contact your Graham Adair attorney with any questions.

Categories Department of State News & Updates USCIS Visa Bulletin

October Visa Bulletin Surge Coincides with Increased Fees

This morning, the U.S. Department of State issued the October Visa Bulletin, which shows modest gains under the Final Action Dates chart. China saw the biggest movement in the EB-3 category, a move of 4.5 months. Similarly, India saw its biggest gain of 3 months in the EB-3 category. All other countries, including Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, which had retrogression in the EB-3 category, are now current.

 

The primary question is whether USCIS will direct applicants to use the Final Action Dates chart, as they normally do, or the Dates for Filing chart. If it’s the latter, then many additional priority dates will become current, especially in EB-3 for India, which moved more than 5 years from the September Visa Bulletin. EB-1 for China and India also saw significant movement of about 2.5 years. USCIS will advise on which chart to use no later than October 1, 2020.

 

This surge in dates coincides with a significant change in the fee structure for USCIS. The biggest change in the permanent residency process is the unbundling of fees for I-485 Adjustment of Status. Until the end of September, the I-485 filing fee is $1140, which includes applications for an EAD card for work and advance parole for travel. Starting October 1, 2020, USCIS will unbundle that I-485 fee and require additional fees for EAD cards and advance parole. The EAD application will require a $550 government fee, and the advance parole application fee will be $590.

 

If USCIS uses the Dates for Filing chart, there will be a massive surge in applications for Adjustment of Status, many of which will include the additional fees of $550 and $590 for EAD cards and advance parole, respectively. Considering that many thousands of new cases would be filed in a very short period of time, it’s possible future visa bulletins could retrogress many dates that were current under the October Visa Bulletin, which would create a scenario wherein applicants are required to pay those $550 and $590 fees annually to maintain their EAD cards and advance parole.

 

We are watching the visa bulletin closely and will send an announcement once USCIS indicates which chart will be used for permanent residence applications.