Immigrant Visa Numbers in Short Supply
The Department of State Visa Office has released its projections on the availability of employment-based immigrant visa numbers in the coming months and for the new fiscal year. The news is not good. Currently, there are no immigrant visas available in the third preference employment based category. The July visa bulletin indicates that the first, second, fourth and fifth preference employment categories remain current, with the exception of the employment based second preference category for China and India.
DOS has indicated that the EB-1 category for nationals of India and perhaps China may get backlogged later this summer and may remain backlogged in the beginning of the new fiscal year which starts in October. It is making a similar prediction for the EB-2 category for India and China. The EB-2 category could become unavailable in the next several months.
It appears that the EB-3 category will become available again in October as the new fiscal year begins.
DOS to Open New Passport Offices
The Department of State plans to expand the existing network of 21 passport agencies and centers nationwide by opening new passport agencies in the State of Vermont, in the cities of Buffalo, New York, El Paso, Texas, Atlanta,Georgia and San Diego, California, and by establishing public counters at two existing locations, the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the Arkansas Passport Center in Hot Springs, Arkansas. These new agencies will be open to the public and will provide the citizens of these communities with easy access to the full range of passport services. These agencies will have the capability to issue passports onsite and provide same-day service to qualified applicants. In March, the Department opened a new passport agency in Detroit and another new passport agency in Minneapolis in May. Later this summer, the Department will open an agency in Dallas and The Western Passport Center in Tucson. The Western Passport Center, a mega adjudication center with a public counter, will be co-located with the existing passport printing facility in Tucson.
Information on how to apply for a passport book and/or passport card can be found at www.
travel.state.gov and by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778.Delays in Processing Permanent Resident Cards
USCIS will continue to experience delays in processing Form I-551, the Permanent Resident Card, in the next several months. During this time, USCIS will be providing an ADIT stamp as temporary evidence of lawful permanent resident status, which authorizes the holder to work in the United States and to be re-admitted following travel outside of the United States. The ADIT stamp will be placed on an unexpired or expired passport if the applicant has one, or on the arrival portion of the Form I-94. The stamp will be valid for a period of 12 months.