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US Citizenship &
Immigration Services

US State Department

Embassy World

Department of Labor ETA

June 2007

This is the latest installment in our efforts to keep you apprised of the rapidly changing U.S. immigration environment. Some of the most recent changes could have a serious impact on you or your employees, and we urge you to communicate these changes to interested parties. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Employment - based VISA Classifications Current for July

The State Department issued its monthly Visa Bulletin this morning, which announced that all employment-based visa classifications are current, beginning July 1.  We will be contacting affected clients individually.  We strongly recommend that anyone who is eligible to apply for adjustment of status in the month of July should do so.  This situation is likely to be very short-lived, with significant backlogs returning in September or October, particularly for nationals of India and China.  The Visa Bulletin is available at http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html 

Fee Increase Effective July 30

On May 30, CIS published its final rule significantlly increasing CIS filing fees.  The increase becomes effective on July 30.  One major change we will see is to the I-485 – separate applications will no longer be required for employment authorization and advance parole, but the filing fee for the I-485, including biometrics, will be $1010 for most applicants.  The new fee schedule is available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/FinalUSCISFeeSchedule052907.pdf 

Status of the "Grand Bargain"

As many of you know, comprehensive immigration reform legislation was debated heavily in the Senate over the last few weeks.  When Senators voted not to continue debate on the matter last week, the bill effectively died, at least for now.  We will advise you if the bill is resurrected, or if any other immigration bills are likely to make it through the legislative process this year.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact us.