Dear Readers:
This is our first issue since the so-called Visagate episode. As many of you may know, in early September, the Department of State rolled out a new Visa Bulletin format where there were two sets of dates for each family and employment-based preference category. The new dates are designed to allow people to file adjustment applications at the beginning of a fiscal year in which they are expected to have a visa number available. The change was announced in the October 2015 Visa Bulletin released on September 9th.
On September 25th, USCIS pressured the State Department to rescind the earlier Visa Bulletin and replace it with a second set of dates that was considerably less generous. USCIS claimed the State Department had erred. Siskind Susser joined with Andrew Free of the class action litigation firm Barrett Johnston in filing a class action law suit against both the State Department and USCIS.
We sought a temporary restraining order to force USCIS to honor the initial bulletin. We didn’t succeed with that, but we forced USCIS to issue a response claiming the incident was based on a mistake and the law forbids them from taking the cases. We believe USCIS is not being forthright on either the facts or the law and the parts of the case coming up in the next few weeks will push on those issues.
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The other big piece of news from the last few weeks is the release of a new F-1 optional practical training rule that will allow STEM professionals the chance to extend their OPT work cards by an additional seven months. This is one of the President’s executive actions.
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In firm news, we welcomed some new folks over the last several weeks. Logan Bierman is working on special projects at the firm and has also pitched in on helping with the Visa Bulletin lawsuit. And Sarah Schrag is shadowing Rose Baker who is leaving us at the end of the month. Sarah will be replacing her. Rose has been a superb writer and editor at the firm and she will be missed.
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As always, we invite prospective clients to contact us at 800-748-3819 or via our web site at www.visalaw.com. Our firm is a full-service immigration law firm assisting clients across the country.
Thanks,
Greg Siskind
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.