OFLC, May 26, 2023 1. OFLC announces case submission for the Form ETA 9089 for PERM in FLAG on June 1, 2023 OFLC previously announced a delay to the date on which it will transition PERM submission...
This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 05/26/2023 "The Department of State (the Department) is delaying the effective date of a final rule that appeared in the Federal...
ICE, May 2, 2023 "In February 2023, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) provided updated guidance that consular officers can now issue an F or M student visa up to 365 days in advance of an international...
Cyrus D. Mehta & Jessica Paszko, May 23, 2023 "Just a couple of months ago we considered the options available to terminated H-1B workers who want to become entrepreneurs . Since then, layoffs...
State Department, May 19, 2023 "The Department of State is processing visas more efficiently than ever while upholding our national security responsibilities. We are continuously reducing the time...
"The primary issue on this appeal is whether “young Albanian women” or “young Albanian women between the ages of 15 and 25" qualify as a “particular social group” for asylum purposes. 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(42)(A). ... In view of the BIA’s two recent precedential decisions clarifying its interpretation of “particular social group” for asylum purposes, we will remand so that the BIA may determine, in the first instance, whether Paloka’s proposed social groups qualify for asylum purposes. ... The new clarifying opinions are important for cases, like Paloka’s, that straddle the line between individuals threatened by state-sponsored or state-condoned criminality on account of their membership in a particular social group and individuals threatened only because they live in a country with pervasive criminality. While continuing to emphasize that a particular social group is not cognizable merely because “‘members have been subjected to harm,’” see M-E-V-G-, 26 I. & N. Dec. at 242 (quoting In re A-M-E- & J-G-U-, 24 I & N. Dec. 69, 74 (B.I.A. 2007)), the BIA stressed that the “shared trait of persecution does not disqualify an otherwise valid social group” and that persecution can be the “catalyst” for societal recognition. See id. at 243. ... [B]eing a victim of a crime or even being a likely target for criminal opportunistic behavior does not necessarily preclude the existence of a valid asylum claim if the claimant would likely be targeted because of her membership in a sufficiently defined social group. See M-E-V-G-, 26 I. & N. Dec. at 243; see also Cece, 733 F.3d at 671-72. Indeed, those facing persecution may often be the most vulnerable to crimes, especially if the government condones or aids the perpetrators. ... [T]he decision of the BIA is vacated, and the case is remanded for reconsideration." - Paloka v. Holder, Aug. 7, 2014. [Hats off to Kai W. De Graaf!]