Have you ever been confused about how to read the Visa Bulletin or wanted to learn more about how it works? Then you won’t want to miss this important video. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick breaks down everything you need to know about how to read and understand the Visa Bulletin issued by the State Department. Overview What is a Priority Date? First, let’s discuss what a priority date is in immigration law. A priority date is the date that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) received your I-130 immigrant petition for alien relative, or I-140 immigrant petition for alie ..read more

Are you waiting for your priority date to become current on the visa bulletin? Then you won’t want to miss this blog post covering the release of the August 2024 visa bulletin. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the month of August. USCIS Adjustment of Status For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that in August it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to ..read more

Are you seeking to financially sponsor someone who wants to immigrate to the United States? If so, you will be interested to know that all immediate relatives of U.S. Citizens and individuals falling in the family-based preference categories, are required to submit the Form I-864 Affidavit of Support to obtain permanent residency in the United States. The form is signed by the U.S. Citizen or legal permanent resident petitioning for the intending immigrant to show they will have the adequate means of financial support while in the U.S. and will not seek financial benefits from the U.S. govern ..read more

In this video and blog post, we discuss a recent Supreme Court decision finding that U.S. Citizens do not have a fundamental right in having their noncitizen spouses admitted to the United States. What is this ruling all about? Department of State v. Muñoz On June 21, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision in Department of State v. Muñoz that U.S. citizens petitioning for their foreign spouses do not have a constitutional liberty interest in their spouses being admitted to the country. What’s worse, the court upheld the doctrine of consular nonreviewability, which says that  ..read more

In this video, we share some big news recently announced by the Biden administration. The President has issued a new executive action on immigration that will soon allow undocumented spouses of U.S. Citizens to apply for permanent residence without having to depart the United States, if they have resided in the United States for at least ten years as of June 17, 2024. Who does this apply to? This order applies to undocumented spouses of U.S. Citizens who entered the country without inspection and have continuously resided in the United States since their entry. Later this summer, the Departme ..read more

Do you want to know all about the July 2024 Visa Bulletin? Then you won’t want to miss these new updates. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains visa availability in the month of July and what you can expect to see in the coming months with respect to the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories. Adjustment of Status Filing Chart July 2024 For the month of July, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for ad ..read more

Are you interested in self-petitioning for a green card (permanent residence) in 2024? If so, you won’t want to miss this important video. Overview Did you know that it is possible to apply for a green card on your own through a self-petition and avoid the process of getting a U.S. job offer? In this video, we discuss the top three ways you can apply for permanent residence without a U.S. company sponsoring you and without a U.S. job offer. Option #1: Employment-Based First Preference Category, EB-1A Aliens of Extraordinary Ability The first immigrant visa classification we will discuss is th ..read more

Did you know that you can apply for a green card without a job offer or even sponsorship from a U.S. employer? In this video attorney Jacob Sapochnick tells you all you need to know about the EB-2 National Interest Waiver, an employment-based green card option for professionals who are working in an area of national importance to the United States government. This video focuses specifically on how engineering professionals can qualify for the National Interest Waiver, which is one of the most popular ways to obtain permanent residence in the U.S. For more information, please keep on watching ..read more

Did you register for the Diversity Visa Lottery in fiscal year 2025? If so, then you won’t want to miss this important video where attorney Jacob Sapochnick shares how you can check the status of your entry online to know whether you have been chosen to apply for a Diversity Visa (DV). Checking the status of your entry is an important step in the application process because the State Department does not notify lottery winners directly. Learn more about how to check your status in this video. Overview Earlier this month, the State Department selected the winners of the fiscal year 2025 Diversi ..read more

New H-1B rules are changing the immigration landscape for U.S. employers and foreign workers in the United States. In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick shares all you need to know about these important changes. Did you Know? In February of this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule in the Federal Register that changed the H-1B registration process and enhanced the H-1B program’s integrity to safeguard against fraud. These changes resulted in a significant drop in the number of eligible H-1B registrations for fiscal year 2025 by 40%. Overview The H-1B ..read more