According to the October 2020 Visa Bulletin, Indians who are in the United States with an H-1B visa can apply for green cards. Doing so can allow them to become a permanent U.S. resident, and it can be an excellent choice for those who want to remain in the United States for the long term. Visa lawyers in Los Angeles can help people to understand whether they might qualify.
Typically, the wait time for getting a green card is quite long. However, this is changing for some people, according to the October Visa Bulletin. There were a couple of large changes that can help to make the application process for the H-1B visa faster and potentially easier. Those who are from India originally and who want to apply for a green card will want to speak with an immigration law firm in Los Angeles.
What Are Employment-Based Visas?
There are currently five different types of employment-based (EB) visas. They include EB-1, which is a green card for priority workers, EB-2, a green card for advanced degrees, EB-3, a green card for professional and skilled workers, EB-4, which is a green card for religious workers and special immigrants, and EB-5, which is a green card for investors.
With the release of the October Visa Bulletin, it seems that there are changes in the wait times for the EB-3 applicants. It is important to have a basic understanding of these changes to see how they could affect a person’s ability to get a green card faster than usual.
The Changes
Those who hold an H1-B visa are foreign workers who have a specialty occupation. L-1 holders are specialized knowledge workers. An example of this would be a business owner. Those who hold one of the aforementioned visas and who have Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers that was approved before January 1, 2015, can now start to apply for Form I-485, Adjustment of Status.
Since the holder of the Form I-140 has had their employment-based visa approved by the USCIS, it provides them with some advantages when compared with other types of visa holders. It means that they are able to extend their H-1B in many cases, and they can change their employer. It also means that they are closer to getting their green card, thanks to some of the new changes that have been made.
Additionally, they can to get an Employment Authorization Document, which is a work permit. These are issued by the USCIS to those who are not citizens of the United States and allows them to work with temporary employment status. Once the person has their Form I-485, they are allowed to apply for a green card.
This helps to make it faster and simpler for many Indians who have been working in the country to get their green card. An immigration lawyer in Los Angeles can talk with the H1-B and L-1 holders about the steps they will need to take as they begin to pursue their green cards. With the new rules, it should take far less time.
Another important change that occurred helped to reduce the wait time for getting a green card. It should help those who hold EB-2 and EB-3 visas substantially. The President passed an executive order on April 22, 2020 that banned processing green cards for immigrants who were outside of the United States. This was done in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the US. They believed that it would slow the spread by keeping more people out of the country. They did not want a large number of people coming into the country who were not tested prior to entry. It would also be difficult and potentially impossible to quarantine a large number of new entrants to the United States.
One of the consequences of the ban was that there were many unused family-based visas that became available. Overall, there were around 226,000 of these visas, which then went into the EB visa pool. With hundreds of thousands of additional visas available, it means that it would help to reduce the wait times for many Indians who wanted to get a green card. Estimates are that it could reduce the wait time for some people by years.
Those Indians who are going to be applying for a green card will want to get in touch with a visa lawyer in Los Angeles soon to determine what steps they need to take next. It is difficult to predict exactly what will happen in the current administration, so applying for the green card as soon as possible is a good idea.
Get in Touch with a Reputable Immigration Law Firm in Los Angeles
When looking for an immigration lawyer in Los Angles, it is important for people to choose carefully. Although there may be many attorneys offering these services, it does not mean that they are all an ideal solution for each client. Those who are on the search should take the time to research the reputation and the experience of the attorney first. Do they have plenty of experience with green cards? Have they worked with people who are in the same or a similar situation in the past? What types of services do they provide, and what will be required of the client?
Applicants who have their H1-B visas or L-1 visas have an excellent opportunity to bypass the traditionally long and tedious wait line for their green card. Now is the best time to get the help needed to secure the green card. Those who have questions and who want to make the process as easy as possible will find an immigration law firm in Los Angeles soon. The attorneys can help the clients understand what type of timeline they are looking at when going from their visa to a green card.