New Poll Finds Immigration is Top Concern for American Voters
According to a new poll by Gallup, American voters consider immigration to be the country’s most important problem to tackle.
The survey conducted this month found that the share of American adults who cited “immigration” as their top concern jumped to 28%, from 20% in January 2024. Immigration beat out both the “Government” and the “Economy in General” as the top-ranked issue.
2025 H-1B Lottery Opens March 6, With Some New Changes
The initial registration period for the FY 2025 H-1B cap lottery opened at 12PM Eastern Time on March 6, 2024, and will run through 12 PM Eastern Time on March 22, 2024.
Starting this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will require valid passport/travel document information for all prospective H-1B applicants going through the electronic registration process. All employers and their prospective H-1B employees will also have to create a new shared “myUSCIS organizational account” to register.
Religious Workers in the U.S. Face Staggering Green Card Backlog
Foreign-born religious workers now face several-year wait times for green cards due to a growing backlog in the EB-4 “Special Immigrants” category.
The U.S. government grants 10,000 green cards each year under the EB-4 category. High demand for EB-4 in recent years means that some religious workers who applied back in 2019 are still stuck in immigration limbo and have yet to receive decisions on their cases.
U.S. Aims to Reduce Visa Wait Times for Indian Applicants
According to the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, the U.S. Department of State (DHS) is working to reduce the wait time for visa appointments for Indians hoping to travel to the United States. The U.S. Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, with wait times decreasing for most visa categories by 75%.
The only category that is still experiencing delays in available visa appointments is the B-1/B-2 tourist visa, specifically for first time visitors to the U.S.