Musings on Immigration

In early September 2015, the Visa Bulletin contained a new second set of dates.  First, there were the dates for those who could be approved for permanent residence.  Second, there was a set of dates for those would while not currently approvable, could file for adjustment of status to be approved in the near future. This was a major change in the Visa Bulletin, and was welcomed by everyone in the immigrant community. The reason this change was so welcome was because people who could file for adjustment of status could then obtain work permits and in some cases travel documents that were no longer tied to the employer or sponsor.  It was a partial fulfillment of the promises made by President Obama on November 20, 2015.  But, like virtually everything else President Obama has done, it turned into a complete bait and switch.  On Friday, September 25, 2015 at 4:30 in the afternoon, less than three weeks after first publishing the visa bulletin with the welc...

In October 2009, I wrote a blog talking about the disastrously long waiting lines for legal immigration to the United States. In Get In The Line? What Line? The Tragic Tale of Employment Based Immigrant Visa Delays , I stated that: This delay in legal, employment based immigration is a crisis for America. If you are an intending immigrant, and your immigration option is employment based, do you have the patience the wait 15 years for your green card? Can you do better in Australia, Canada, or even back home in our home country? What is the cost to our future competitiveness of a broken legal immigration system? What is the cost to U.S. innovation? The Department of State just released its annual numbers for cases received by the National Visa Center, awaiting issuance of an immigrant visa at a consulate. The report says this: The following figures have been compiled from the NVC report submitted to the Department on November 3, 2009, and show the number of immigrant visa applicants on...

I had a very upset client contact me this last week. He was angry . . . at the Visa Bulletin. He could not understand how, after the start of the new fiscal year, there was essentially no movement in the visa numbers. I tried to calm him by telling him that he just needed to be patient. Then I realized how patronizing that sounded. How much longer did he need to wait? He has an approved immigrant visa petition (EB-3) with an early 2005 priority date in the worldwide category. So, I decided to try to figure out when he might actually get his green card. I ask that you bear with me through this process. This is a LONG post, but one I think you will appreciate reading. I have to warn you now, this math is a shot in the dark. I do NOT have all of the numbers of pending and approved cases in each category of employment based immigration. However, some estimate, based upon some pretty good numbers, is better than mere guesswork. Let me walk you through this analysis. However, I first ask you...