While I have been bogged down with a chain of deadlines, the immigration train keeps chugging along with some very important updates. I will likely write more about each item below in due course but here is a snapshot of some unmissable immigration news:
* Big news: President Obama finally signed the bill extending the EB5 program on Friday September 28th. Thank you to Congress and the President for recognizing the importance of this program. See our previous post on what is covered in the bill.
* Bigger news: A landmark case De Osorio v. Mayorkas, was decided on Sept. 26th. This is a really big deal because it essentially says that derivative beneficiaries who ‘age-out’ or become 21 while their parent’s petition is pending, will be able to retain that priority date. There is a lot more to explain on this and I will write about it another time. In the meantime, here is a link to the update from one of the lawyers who argued the case.
* Good news: Taiwan is the latest country to join the visa waiver system.
* Good news: On September 28th, the Obama Administration set a new policy that same-sex partners will be treated as relatives. This doesn’t get a green card (YET!) but hopefully will stop deportation of such partners. Here is a link to the story from Reuters.