VISA2US Blog

Nonimmigrants wishing to extend their visa’s validity period use Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This form is one of the most commonly filed, as it is used by students, visitors, and temporary workers. Generally, requesting an extension is simple, provided no significant changes have occurred. However, in the past, a biometrics requirement added extra time and expense to the application. Recently, USCIS announced changes to this requirement. How will that affect your I-539? We’ll explain here.

America’s immigration policies are frequently tied to the political situation in the country at any given time. When those in charge of reformation and policies can’t come to an agreement, the resulting impasse may have serious consequences. That’s what we see playing out on the near horizon as the end of the fiscal year approaches. If Congress can’t agree on how to fund the federal government, a partial shutdown could happen, and the impact could be damaging to those awaiting immigration paperwork. We’ll explain what’s going on and what you should be doing to prepare for a potential government shutdown here.

The Visa Bulletin, released monthly by the US Department of State, is read by those visa petitioners still awaiting their priority dates and forward movement for their green cards. Usually, this document is mostly predictable with the occasional surprising changes, but September 2023’s bulletin brings some major news that we’ll explain here.

The Visa Bulletin is the go-to resource for millions of people as they wait for progress on their Green Card and other legal documents. Although it’s an essential part of the process, it can be challenging to understand this bulletin when you’re new to the system or if you simply want to know about your specific country and visa category. Here, we’ve summarized the highlights of the July 2023 visa bulletin to let you know if your work visa is on the move, stagnant, or possibly retrogressed.

The Visa Bulletin is an important document released by the United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs monthly. If you’re waiting for a green card or another way to get into the US, this bulletin is your go-to resource to find out how much longer you can expect to sit in the “queue.” June 2023’s was released on May 12, 2023, and here, we have the overall summary to help you understand where your country’s momentum sits.

For June, EB-2 visa applicants from India are seeing their final action date advance by more than a year.

This months visa bulletin features some small advances for employment-based visa applicants, as well as retrogression in some categories. In addition, two employment-based visas have become unavailable, signaling that some visas have already been used for FY 2022.

The USCIS has a new mission statement that reinforces ideals and values held by the agency in 2022.

This year the USCIS is adding healthcare workers to their expedite program. U.S. employers who are short-staffed will be able to request this service in light of Covid-19.

The December Visa Bulletin will feature advances for employment based applicants from India and China in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories.