VISA2US Blog

It’s not a surprise that immigration visas are backlogged for many categories in various countries, particularly India’s H-1B visa. But with a wait time of over ten years for thousands of individuals, it’s understandable that their patience is disappearing. Now, presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is promising to overhaul the H-1B visa program, replacing the outdated system with a more fair process. What is he promising, and how is it being received? We’ll explain here.

The backlog of H-1B visas and green cards for foreign workers trying to get into the United States is no secret. However, some places are current with their petitions because of the limit on per-country visas, while others, like India, are over ten years behind. As the wait time continues to increase, government officials recognize that something must be done, and they’ve provided a temporary Indian-American work visa rule that could solve this problem.

The United States government understands that there are brilliant minds in other countries, and sometimes, employers in America need to hire outside of the border to fill specialty positions. When that happens, the H-1B visa is an ideal category that potential employers can petition their chosen beneficiaries for. Foreign workers want this coveted visa because it gives them the opportunity to apply for a Permanent Residence card, otherwise known as a Green Card. Delays are part of the process for applicants, but recently, these backlogs have become more time-consuming than usual. What’s going on at USCIS and the Department of Labor to cause these delays? We’ll explain here.

The visa bulletin for October, 2021, reflects the start of a new fiscal year for U.S. immigration.

A new bill proposes that green card applicants who can afford an extra fee will be able to surpass the numerical country limits in place for family and employment based immigration.

The upcoming month shows that Certain Special Immigrants from Latin America and religious workers have a backlog as we near the end of the fiscal year. In addition, SIVs have a current final action date for Afghan nationals, but the difficulty remains in actually filing these applications because of the extensive paperwork.

The May 2021 visa bulletin shows a recurring trend of long waitlists for Indian and mainland Chinese applicants in many family-based preference categories. However, at the same time, many final action dates are “current” for employment-based visa applicants from Mexico, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Central American countries.

I-130, officially called “Petition for Alien Relative,” is the form for petitioner (a permanent resident or U.S. citizen) to establish the relationship to an eligible relative who wishes to come to or remain in the United States permanently and get a Permanent Resident Card (also called a Green Card).

Questions around healthcare and healthcare coverage answered for green card holders in the marketplace.

The importance of employment visas for the purpose of understanding lawful permanent residence is that obtaining one makes the case for an immigrant to eventually file what is called an I-485 Form, an adjustment of status.