The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has expanded myProgress to include Form I-821 for TPS and Form I-485 for Registering Permanent Residence or Adjusting Status. Initially, myProgress is accessible for family-based or Afghan special immigrant I-485 applicants. This service provides personalized estimates of wait times for major milestones and case actions, available in the applicant’s online account. Additionally, myProgress is open to applicants filing other forms, such as I-765, I-131, N-400, I-90, or I-130, who have a USCIS online account.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has settled with Apple Inc. for $25 million, addressing allegations of discriminatory hiring practices against both U.S. citizens and certain non-U.S. citizens. The DOJ’s investigation revealed a pattern of favoring foreign workers eligible for permanent residency over U.S. citizens. Apple is accused of inadequately advertising positions for foreign workers on its external job website, relying instead on internal recruitment methods that disadvantaged U.S. citizens.

The American Immigration Council, alongside over 100 business organizations nationwide, urges Congress to expedite work permits for asylum seekers by reducing the waiting period from the current 180 days to 30 days. The joint letter also advocates for increased funding for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to enhance the efficiency of work permit processing. With 9.6 million job openings and 6.5 million individuals seeking employment, businesses are grappling with significant worker shortages, particularly in key industries.

USCIS provides additional guidance on its interpretation of changes to the EB-5 program made by the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA), specifically the required investment timeframe and how it treats investors who are associated with a terminated regional center.

CCLT applies to individuals seeking extensions of stay or changes of status to H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, or E-3 nonimmigrant categories.

The Department of Labor announced $98 million in funding for pre-apprenticeship programs. The program is designed to help disadvantaged young people ages 16 to 24 enter the workforce. The funding will provide educational guidance, occupational skills training, and employment services. The program aligns with the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda to create good jobs.

The American Immigration Council, a non-profit supporting immigrants in the U.S., recently released an interactive map highlighting immigrants’ contributions. The 2023 Map covers all 50 states, showcasing immigrant impact in various industries. It includes stories and videos from local leaders emphasizing the significance of immigration. Some key findings from the Council’s report include: 1 in 8 U.S. residents is an immigrant. Immigrants paid over $500 billion in taxes in 2021. 22% of all U.S. entrepreneurs are immigrants.

The H-2B program for FY 2024 outlines specific visa allocations and employment start date ranges for different periods within the fiscal year. The program aims to address labor needs by allowing temporary hiring of noncitizens for non-agricultural work in the U.S. Various provisions are in place to protect both U.S. and H-2B workers, and petitions for supplemental allocations must be filed at the USCIS Texas Service Center to be considered valid.

This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during December for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center. Unless otherwise indicated on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo, individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS must use the “Final Action Dates” charts below for determining when they can file such applications. When USCIS determines that there are more immigrant visas available for the fiscal year than there are known applicants for such visas, USCIS will state on its website that applicants may instead use the “Dates for Filing Visa Applications” charts in this Bulletin. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in consultation with the Department of State (DOS), has announced the lists of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B visa programs in the next year. The H-2A visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary agricultural jobs. The H-2B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary non-agricultural jobs.

A new report by the Bipartisan Policy Center reveals that the U.S. is losing trillions in economic growth due to green card backlogs. The report suggests that eliminating these backlogs could contribute $3.9 trillion to the GDP over a decade. To tackle this issue, the report proposes congressional actions, such as recapturing unused green cards, setting time limits on green card waiting, abolishing per-country restrictions, adjusting overall visa quotas, and enhancing processing resources.

The Potomac Service Center (PSC) will no longer accept paper responses, including Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID), Notices of Intent to Revoke (NOIR), Intents to Deny (ITD), Requests for Evidence (RFE), or supporting documentation for pending filings. The shift away from paper correspondence begins on November 13, 2023. All mailed materials for cases processed by the PSC must be directed to the Texas Service Center (TSC) at USCIS Texas Service Center.