USCIS Announces New Premium Processing Fees
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a final rule that will increase the fees for Premium Processing to adjust for inflation. Commonly used for Form I-129 (Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker) and Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker), the fee will jump from $2,500 to $2,805, effective February 26, 2024.
11,000 Migrants Waiting in Mexico to Cross U.S. Border
A recent migration surge has left more than 11,000 migrants waiting in Mexico to legally cross the U.S. border. Those waiting in shelters and camps on the Mexican side of the border are hoping to enter the U.S. under one of the legal immigration pathways recently established by the Biden administration.
U.S. Immigration Court Backlog Surges to Over 3 Million Cases
The backlog of pending immigration court cases increased by more than 1 million cases in 2023, bringing the total number of pending cases to over 3 million. Due to the increasing backlog, some are not due to appear in court for years, leaving many in immigration limbo. The Biden administration has tried to alleviate the backlog by hiring additional judges for immigration courts around the country.
Foreign Workers Make Up 25% of U.S. Construction Labor Force
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), foreign-born workers accounted for a record 25% of the U.S. construction labor force in 2022. The figures show immigrants have been crucial in combating the construction industry’s labor shortage, which was exasperated by the COVID-19 pandemic.