Court Invalidates 2019 EB-5 Regulations

Washington, D.C., June 23, 2021: The Federal Court litigation seeking to invalidate the EB-5 Regulations (known as BEHRING REGIONAL CENTER LLC v. WOLF) resulted in an order invalidating the regulations. Judge Corley of the Federal District Court in the Northern District of California accepted plaintiff’s core arguments in unequivocal terms. First, the court ruled that […]

Senators Leahy and Grassley Push EB-5 Bill

Washington, DC, June 22, 2021: Senators Grassley (R-Iowa) and Leahy (D-Vermont) informed their respective caucuses that they plan to seek a unanimous consent vote on S. 831, the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act using the hotline process. S.831 seeks to re-authorize the EB-5 regional center program for 5 years, through FY 2026, and to introduce […]

US Brings Back Asylum Rules for Victims of Domestic Violence or Gang Violence

Washington, D.C., June 18, 2021: The U.S. Department of Justice reversed three Trump-era immigration rulings that had made it extremely difficult for persons to obtain asylum based on credible fears of domestic abuse or gang violence. The now-vacated rulings, known as Matter of L-E-A-, 27 I&N Dec. 581 (A.G. 2019) (“L-E-A- 11”), Matter of A-B-, […]

USCIS Announces Lockbox Filing Flexibilities

Washington, D.C., June 10, 2021: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will offer filing flexibilities to provide relief to certain applicants and petitioners impacted by delays at a USCIS lockbox. These flexibilities only apply to benefit requests submitted to a USCIS lockbox and not to USCIS service centers or field offices. The following temporary flexibilities are […]

Inflexion Point on High Skilled Immigration?

Washington, D.C., June 14, 2021: A new research report finds that the US economy is heading for an inflexion point: the number of high-skilled jobs available outpaces the number of local qualified applicants and the number of foreign skilled workers available under current immigration quotas. The report, issued by the New American Economy Research Foundation […]

U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau Announces Reopening of all Visa Services

The U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, announced recently that it is offering all classes of immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services. While the consulate aims to process cases as soon as practicable, it is stated that there is likely to be increased wait times for completing such services due to substantial backlogs. Note, that […]

IRCC Issues 6,000 Invitations in the CEC Specific Express Entry Draw

On June 10, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 6,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in its most recent Express Entry draw. The minimum score in this draw was 368. IRCC published a cutoff time for the tie-break rule, whether or not there was any actual tie. In the new draw, candidates who had […]

IRCC Issues 940 Invitations in the PNP Specific Express Entry Draw

On June 9, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 940 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in its Express Entry draw. Invited candidates needed to have a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to receive an ITA. The minimum score in this draw was 711. Note that PNP candidates automatically get an additional 600 […]

British Columbia Issues 373 Invitations in the PNP Draw

On June 8, 2021, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 323 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence under the general draw and 50 ITA’s under the draws specifically for retail and wholesale trade managers as well as restaurant and foodservice managers. There is a high […]

U.S. Embassy in Mumbai Announces Reopening of Immigrant Visa Appointments

We had earlier reported that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates were offering limited processing of all visa categories. We are now pleased to inform you that as of June 7, 2021, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai is reopening Immigrant Visa Unit appointments of all types: Rescheduling of cancelled appointments SB-1 […]