October, 2020 Visa Bulletin Released – Rapid Advancement for Most Employment-Based Categories

Washington, D.C. – September 29, 2020: The U.S. Department of State recently published the much-anticipated monthly Visa Bulletin for October, 2020. Employment Based Green Cards: The U.S. Department of State concluded its calculations of the employment-based immigrant visa annual limit for FY 2021, which is anticipated to be 261,500, an all-time high. The October, 2020 […]

White House Fast-Tracks New H1B Regulation

Washington, D.C., October 2, 2020: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted new draft regulations regarding the H1B skilled worker visa program to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in early September. Today, to accelerate the adoption of the new regulations, OMB confirmed that is was waiving its traditional analysis of the cost-impact of […]

Injunction Issued Suspending President’s Ban on Temporary Visas

Washington, D.C., October 2, 2020: This Thursday, a federal court issued an injunction that bars the President from suspending the issuance of new temporary work visas to the US in the L1A, L1B and H1B classifications. The President’s order, issued in June, effectively shut down the most commonly used US temporary work visa programs until […]

Congress Renews the EB-5 Regional Center Program Until December 11, 2020

Washington, D.C., October 1, 2020: The U.S. Congress approved budget legislation (called a Continuing Resolution (“CR”)), that funds the operations of the federal government until December 11, 2020. Simultaneously, the CR also passed an extension of the EB-5 Regional Center program until December 11, 2020. The CR will be signed by the President very shortly […]

Minimum Score for the All Program Express Entry Draw Drops by 1 Point

On September 30,2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4,200 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in its most recent all-program draw. The minimum score in today’s draw was 471, 1 point lower than the previous all-program draw, the biggest drop in CRS score since all-program draws resumed in July. As per the tie breaking applied […]

British Columbia Issues 450 Invitations In The New Draw

On September 29, 2020, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 450 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the Skills Immigration (SIBC) and Express Entry (EEBC) categories to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence. These streams are intended for workers or international graduates with the skills, education and/or experience required for high-demand […]

British Columbia Issues 74 Invitations In The New Tech Pilot Draw

On September 22, 2020, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 74 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the technology sector to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence. BC PNP Tech Pilot draw issued ITAs to candidates under the Express Entry BC and Skills immigration categories as explained in the table below: […]

Minimum Score for the All Program Express Entry Draw Drops by 3 Points

On September 16,2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4,200 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in its most recent all-program draw. The minimum score in the September 16th draw was 472, 3 points lower than the previous all-program draw, the biggest drop in CRS score since all-program draws resumed in July. In the September 2nd […]

British Columbia Issues 407 Invitations In The New Draw

On September 15, 2020, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 407 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the Skills Immigration (SIBC) and Express Entry (EEBC) categories to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence. These streams are intended for workers or international graduates with the skills, education and/or experience required for high-demand […]

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Allows President to End Temporary Protected Status

Washington, D.C., September 15, 2020: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on Monday, September 14, 2020, that allows the President to terminate all grants of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for individuals from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Sudan. The impact of this decision is acute. Approximately 300,000 people have been living in […]