It’s been a rough year for immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Many of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies were put on hold by federal courts, but the government’s efforts still left many immigrants feeling scared and confused — and also… View Article
The U.S. Department of State released its latest Visa Bulletin. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.
In May 2019, President Trump announced a new immigration reform plan (not to be confused with his old immigration reform plan), including dramatic changes to how green cards would be allocated. Although this proposal has limited prospects of becoming law… View Article
As part of its justification for cutting family-based immigration, the Trump administration frequently praises countries — especially Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — that allocate a higher percentage of their own green cards based on economic factors.While it’s certainly true… View Article
It would be more accurate to describe the waiting list for family-sponsored immigrants as 14 different queues moving at different speeds.Currently, there is only one queue for the spouses and minor children of permanent residents (“F2A” visas), no matter where… View Article
Too often, “family-based immigration” is described as something distinct from “high-skilled immigration” or “merit-based immigration.” This may come as a surprise to the millions of U.S. citizens who hold their spouses, children, parents, and other relatives in high esteem.“Merit-based immigration”… View Article
The family immigration process begins when a U.S. citizen or permanent resident “petitions” the government to sponsor a family member for a green card. This requires filing a special form (called an “I-130”) with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),… View Article
Because Congress has capped the number of employment-sponsored green cards at 140,000 per year (about 13% of the total), the majority of immigrants in the United States obtain their green cards based on a family relationship.This is even true for… View Article
This map shows the home state for most immigrants with recently obtained green cards. You can click to see detailed numbers on which green card categories were used within a particular state.Not surprisingly, the most populous states have the most… View Article
If you are a U.S. citizen, you may sponsor your spouse, your parents, and any unmarried children under 21 years old for a green card. These close family relationships make up the great majority (69%) of the family-sponsored green cards… View Article
Alison Moodie