U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Announces New Procedures Which Will Allow a Significant Number of Individuals to File Final Green Card Applications

On September 9, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in coordination with the U.S. Department of State (DOS), announced that it is revising its procedures for applicants waiting to file their third and final stage of the green card process, known as the employment-based or family-sponsored preference adjustment of status application. According to the USCIS, the revised process will enhance the DOS's ability to more accurately predict the overall immigrant visa demand and determine the cut-off dates for visa issuance published in the DOS monthly Visa Bulletin. These changes implement November 2014 executive actions on immigration announced by President Obama. This announcement will have the impact of allowing a significant number of applicants, some of whom may have been waiting for years due to U.S. government visa backlogs, to file their final stage of the green card process starting in October 2015 for up to several years.