March Visa Bulletin Shows Big Leap Forward for Chinese and Indian EB-1s

Mar 2, 2021 | Permanent Immigration Visas

The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for March 2021 shows a seven-month leap forward for Chinese and Indian green card applicants in the employment-based first preference category, with a final action date of August 1, 2020, for both countries. In February, immigrant visas were available for those with priority dates earlier than January 1, 2020.

The March bulletin also includes information on diversity category cut-offs for April and instructions on reporting address changes for overseas cases.

Details:

Related Posts:

USCIS to Replace Sticker That Extends Validity of Green Cards

Briefing:  Starting in January, applicants who file Form I-90 to replace an expiring green card will receive a revised receipt notice, which together with an applicant’s PRC, will serve as temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status for 12 months from the expiration date on the face of the green card.  Applicants will receive the revised receipt notice in the mail approximately 7-10 days after USCIS accepts their application. Uses When presented together with the green card, the revised Form I-797 notice will extend the green card’s validity for 12 months from the date on the front of the green card and will serve as temporary proof of the LPR’s status. This change ensures that LPRs with a recently expired green card will have documentation of identity, employment authorization, and authorization to return to the United States following temporary foreign travel. I-90 applicants Form I-90 applicants who have not been issued a notice for a biometrics appointment and are in possession of their green card, will no longer have to visit an application support center to obtain temporary evidence of LPR status. Applicants who have already been scheduled for a biometrics appointment will not receive a revised notice and will be […]

‘Dreamers’ and Farmworker Bills Pass House; Fate in Senate Uncertain

On March 18, 2021, two bills that would create a legalization pathway for “Dreamers” and for farmworkers (H-2A temporary agricultural workers) received bipartisan support and passed in the House of Representatives. Passage in the Senate is uncertain, however. According to observers, prospects for both bills in their current form seem dim. Some believe that the agricultural worker bill has a better chance of passage intact. The “Dreamer” bill could pass in at least a scaled-down version. Efforts are being made to persuade a sufficient number of Senate Republicans to vote in favor of the bills, although there has been a hardening of Republicans’ strategy against passing any immigration-related legislation in the Senate while they spotlight difficult conditions at the U.S. border with Mexico and blame President Biden and the Democrats. As Sen. Lindsey Graham has stated, “There is no pathway for anything right now.” In addition to working toward Senate passage, Democrats are considering various other options, including breaking the legislation into smaller pieces that might have an easier chance of passage, tacking immigration measures onto other legislation that has attracted more bipartisan support, or killing the filibuster so only a simple majority would be needed for passage rather than […]