IMMIGRATION UPDATES
1. July 2022 Visa Bulletin: Advancement in EB-2
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the Visa Bulletin for July 2022, which shows advancement in EB-2 employment-based category, no advancement in EB-3 employment-based category, and slow advancement in family-based categories. The cutoff dates for issuance of employment-based immigrant visas are as follows:
EB-1: All countries are current.
EB-2: China advances to April 1, 2019; India advances to December 1, 2014. All other countries are current.
EB-3 Professional and Skilled Workers: China remains at March 22, 2018; India remains at January 15, 2012. All other countries are current.
USCIS will accept all family-based adjustment of status applications based on the “Dates for Filing” chart, and all employment-based adjustment of status applications based on the “Final Action Dates” chart.
The July 2022 Visa Bulletin can be found here.
2. USCIS Transfers Certain H-1B Petitions to the California Service Center
On June 16, 2022, USCIS announced that certain H-1B petitions and FY 2023 H-1B cap petitions awaiting intake at the Vermont Service Center (VSC) are being transferred to the California Service Center (CSC) for data entry and adjudication.
The transfer is in response to the H-1B receipt issuance delays at the VSC.
USCIS’ alert can be found here.
Other Announcements & Updates
CDC Rescinds Requirement of Negative Pre-Departure COVID-19 Test Prior to Flight to the U.S.
On June 10, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that effective June 12, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. EST, international air travelers will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a flight to the U.S.
Nonimmigrant travelers remain subject to U.S. COVID vaccination requirements.
CDC’s alert can be found here.
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