WR Immigration Director of Visa Consulting Charlie Oppenheim, Partner Charina Garcia, and Senior Associate Laura Bloniarz update HR professionals with the latest information from the January 2024 Visa Bulletin. They dive into an analysis of employment-based and family-based immigrant visa categories, 2024 predictions and an extensive Q&A session from live attendees and submitted questions. Watch below!
By: Bernard Wolfsdorf, Joseph Barnett, and Robert Blanco USCIS has issued new policy guidance to clarify that violations of federal controlled substance law, including violations involving marijuana, are generally a bar to establishing good moral character for naturalization, even where that conduct would not be an offense under state law. The policy guidance clarifies that an applicant for U.S. naturalization who is involved in certain marijuana-related activities may lack good moral character if found to have violated federal law, even if such activity has been decriminalized under applicable state laws. With marijuana use directly impacting U.S. naturalization determinations, it is critical that immigrants understand the U.S. federal immigration laws’ policies towards marijuana. Moreover, such use may render a green card holder inadmissible, and possibly removable. Here are 5 things to know: 1. Marijuana is a Schedule I Drug. Federal law classifies marijuana as a “Schedule I” controlled substance like heroin or LSD. The growing or manufacture, distribution, dispensing, or possession of marijuana may lead to negative immigration consequences, even though numerous states have enacted laws permitting medical or recreation use of marijuana. It is irrelevant that since 1996, several states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to decriminalize the cultivation, possession, distribution, and use of both […]
By Joey Barnett and Charlie Oppenheim The Department of State has just released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin, and it shows very good news for the new Reform and Integrity Act EB-5 program and for Chinese and Indians waiting in line under the prior EB-5 program. Here is some preliminary thoughts from WR Immigration on the new October 2024 Visa Bulletin. First, it is predicting that the reserved visa categories, that is rural, high unemployment and infrastructure will remain open for most, if not all of FY2025 which starts in a few weeks on October 1, 2024, and ends September 30, 2025. Despite strong demand and the possibility of a final action date cutoff being established, applicants from China and India and all other countries will continue to be able to concurrently file adjustment of status applications under the reduced investment of $800,000 for the next few months, and possibly for most of 2025. This is a huge advantage as they get 5 year work and travel permits and those on H-1Bs are no longer tied to their employers. Second, applicants from China and India who applied under the old EB-5 program also see considerable forward movement in the waiting […]
