Updates & Events

The DOS has authorized consular officers through the end of 2021 to expand the categories of F, M and “academic J visa applicants” whose applications can be adjudicated without an in-person interview in their consular district of residence.

The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for October 2021 includes information on potential movement in visa availability for the next several months.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its “approximate” cap count for H-2B visas for fiscal year 2022.

USCIS is extending the time during which receipt notices can be used to show evidence of status from 18 months to 24 months for petitioners who properly file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Investor to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status.

The continuing resolution to keep the federal government open until December 3, 2021, was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden on September 30, 2021.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered the Biden administration to hold 7,395 diversity visas for lottery winners who were still awaiting processing when fiscal year 2021 ended and the visas were set to expire.

Following a U.S. district court ruling in Texas, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals on September 28, 2021.

DHS, with the DOS, added Croatia to the list of countries eligible for participation in the Visa Waiver Program on September 30, 2021.

Many business owners, especially owners who are thinking of selling their business, wonder if an ESOP is a good ownership transition option for them. The answer is not always easy to determine but an ESOP is something that should be explored.

The North Dakota Petroleum Council recently elected Fredrikson & Byron shareholder Lawrence Bender to serve a two-year term as the new chair of its board of directors.