U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia Suspend Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance
As a result of the Russian government's personnel cap imposed on the U.S. Mission in Russia, the State Department announced that the issuance of nonimmigrant visa ("NIV") operations in Russia will be suspended beginning today, August 23, 2017. As of 9:00 a.m. Moscow time on Monday, August 21, 2017, the U.S. Mission began cancelling current NIV appointments countrywide. Beginning September 1, 2017, NIV interviews will occur only at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. NIV interviews at
CIS Releases September 2017 AOS Filing Dates
As stated in the MIGblog post of August 12, 2017 (link here), the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA") sets annual worldwide and per-country numerical limits on employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas. These visas are supply-side "products," allocated on a first-come, first-served basis (in sequential order, based upon applicants' priority dates). The September 2017 Visa Bulletin is issued on the basis of reported demand received from the DOS (visa applicants
DOS Releases September 2017 Visa Bulletin
The Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA") sets annual worldwide and per-country numerical limits on employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas. These visas are supply-side "products," allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The September 2017 Visa Bulletin is issued on the basis of reported demand received from DOS (visa applicants) and CIS (adjustment applicants) by August 9, 2017. This month's bulletin shows backlogs (demand > supply) in the EB-1 categor
RAISE Act: Thumbs Down
The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act ("RAISE") Act - introduced by Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, with the support of President Trump - would eliminate the immigration system that we know today and replace it with a points-based system that ignores the benefits of family unity and the needs of U.S. employers. The RAISE Act is an attack on legal immigration that would slash the number of immigrants the U.S. welcomes each year without a reasonable
