Business Immigration in a Minute by Honigman LLP

• The Department of State recently released the November 2023 Visa Bulletin. In addition to the final action dates and dates for filing charts for employment-based immigrant visa and adjustment of status cases, it contains notes on the diversity lottery. Notably, EB-2 final action dates for all other countries will advance by approximately one week. All other employment-based final action dates will remain unchanged from last month. For November 2023, employment-based applicants must use the dates for filing chart for adjustment of status applications.
  
  
• As of October 1, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has exempted the biometric services fee as part of the application requirements for all Form I-539, Applications to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. As a result of this change, applicants do not need to pay the fee if their application is postmarked October 1, 2023 or later.
  
  
• USCIS recently launched an Enterprise Change of Address (“E-COA”) self-service tool. The E-COA tool allows most individuals with a USCIS online account to update their mailing and physical address with USCIS for pending applications, petitions, or requests in a single place, eliminating the need to update the address in multiple places, fill out a paper AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card, call the Contact Center, or visit a USCIS Field or Asylum Office.
  
  
• The Department of Labor (“DOL”) updated its processing times for permanent labor certification (“PERM”) applications and prevailing wage requests. As of September 30, 2023, the DOL is adjudicating PERM applications filed in or before September 2022 and processing prevailing wage requests filed in or before February 2023.

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