Let’s face it, if you need to relocate to a foreign country in order to protect your health, safety, family, or livelihood, the obstacles you must overcome are unnecessarily challenging. It would be nice if we could just pick up and move to any place we wanted to go, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, the globe is carved into a number of puzzle pieces, and the periphery of each is blockaded by red tape, walls, and armed guards. Our highly experienced lawyers and staff are here to help you overcome these obstacles. We are here to make your transition to a new country as smooth and easy as we possibly can.
For this reason, we are committed to providing you with the best immigration services available. We have over thirty years of experience specializing in immigration law, and we can help with a wide spectrum of needs, ranging from asylum to work and family visas. We are also committed to providing you with up-to-date information regarding changes in the legal landscape, through our blog and our webinars.
In this week’s immigration news, we want you to know about a change USCIS just made which affects those of you who need family or work visas. On September 10, USCIS released the Visa Bulletin for this October to make it easier for those who are seeking to adjust their status to determine when to file their adjustment of status application.
As stated in the news release, USCIS monitors the number of US visas and posts the relevant DOS visa bulletin chart on a monthly basis. The Visa Bulletin indicates when statutorily limited visas are available for issuance to prospective immigrants based on their individual priority date.
Applicants can determine when to file their Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status based on the charts in the Bulletin.
In addition to the Application Final Action Dates chart (dates when visas may finally be issued) that is normally seen on Bulletins, as a result of the revised procedures, the October Visa Bulletin includes a new chart called Dates for Filling Applications. This new chart shows the earliest dates when applicants may be eligible to apply.
To use the chart, applicants should know their priority date, which is generally the date when their relative or employer properly filed the immigrant visa petition on their behalf with USCIS; or the date the Department of Labor accepts a labor certification for processing (when applicable).
Based on the visa type and the country of birth column in the chart, applicants can find the corresponding date. If the date is Current or their priority date is earlier than the date on the chart, they may file their adjustment of status application, if otherwise eligible to do so.
Applicants who are eligible to file for adjustment of status based on the new filing date in the October Visa Bulletin may file their applications beginning on October 1, 2015.
Please let us know if you have any questions about your application date or other immigration issues. We are here to listen to your story and to help you live the life you want here in the United States. Please contact our experts today to schedule your free consultation.