The Compass® Immigration News to help Employers, Families and Individuals navigate the legal system to successfully achieve their immigration goals.
Obtaining a PERM/Labor Certification for an EntryLevel Employee
Today’s issue is obtaining a PERM/Labor Certification for an entry-level employee, Part I. Although this looks daunting, it is actually straightforward in the normal course of career progression. Robert graduates from Faber College with a master’s degree in accounting. He is hired by ABC Accountants, LLC, and begins his accounting career. For the purposes of […]
Department of State Starts Pilot Program for a Limited Few to Obtain H-1 Visas in the U.S.
The Department of State has announced a pilot program to resume domestic visa renewals for qualified H-1B non-immigrant visa applicants who meet certain requirements. In short, this pilot program allows certain H-1 employees to obtain a new H-1 visa without having to leave the US and go to a US consulate. But note that the […]
An Explanation of the Visa Bulletin and How the Dates Go Back!
In some cases, a person can be waiting patiently on their Priority Date on the monthly Visa Bulletin but suddenly the next month’s Bulletin shows that current dates have moved back! This does not happen often but it does happen enough that it is important to understand how it happens and what it means to […]
A Reminder from USCIS About New I-9 Forms
USCIS has issued a reminder that the new I-9 form issued on August 1, 2023 will be the only version accepted after November 1, 2023. This applies to new-hires/referrals only. Countdown to Nov. 1 is ON! – Make Sure You’re Using the 08/01/2023 Form I-9 Starting Nov. 1, you can only use Form I-9, Employment Eligibility […]
The Department of State (DOS) Announces the Start of the Annual Green Card Lottery
If you are interested in this lottery, please see the information below from the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Note that only natives of “low immigration” countries are eligible so check the chart below for countries that are not eligible. What is the Diversity Visa Lottery? The Diversity Immigrant Visa program—a.k.a. the green card lottery—is a […]
Why Are Immigration Cases Taking So Long?
The Immigration Service (USCIS) has released a small amount of information in an attempt to explain the tremendous backlog in their cases. The information is explained below and it does provide some insight. But it does not really explain what they are doing to correct this ridiculous situation. For information about the “real” ways to […]
Why Do the Preference/Employment Quotas Slow Down In August and September?
By now many people have noticed that several employment preference quotas for immigrant visas (and to some extent family quotas) have slowed down in the Visa Bulletin for August 2023. We anticipate a continued slowdown in the September Bulletin as well. Why does this happen almost every year? The Federal Government’s fiscal year begins on […]
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
This year, 2023, is being celebrated as our 45th Anniversary of the creation of our law firm. Started in 1978 as Samuel M. Tidwell and Associates, P.C., the firm went through several name changes with an important change in 1991 when it became Tidwell, Swaim & Associates, P.C. There was one more change to Tidwell, […]
USCIS Announces New Immigration Program for Citizens of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras
This program is very restrictive, but does apply to people who meet the requirements below: The beneficiary must: There are many questions unanswered by USCIS at this point (such as who is a “US-based petitionerâ€), but we will get more information each week about who qualifies so check our website (www.davidswaimlaw.com) for updates.