new immigration interviews for employment-based green cards

New Immigration Interviews for Employment-Based Green Cards

Scroll down to read more!

New Immigration Interviews for Employment-Based Green Cards

Scroll down to read more!
new immigration interviews for employment-based green cards

Table of Contents

New Immigration Interviews for Employment-Based VIsas

In-person interviews will be necessary starting on October 1st for people wishing to change from an employment-based nonimmigrant status (such as H-1B, L-1, or O-1 status) to legal permanent residence (or “green card”) status in the United States, according to a statement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Family members of refugees or asylees who want to join a primary asylee/refugee applicant will also need to go through an interview process. Although interviews are typically waived under current policy for applications for employment-based adjustments of status, the new change is a result of President Trump’s “extreme vetting” immigration policies.

According to the USCIS release, immigration officers will interview applicants for employment-based green cards to verify the facts on their I-140 applications and/or to learn new information and assess the applicant’s reliability. In circumstances when a candidate may have done so, an immigration officer may check to discover if the candidate has shifted his or her employment to a new employer.

The adjudication of I-485 Applications to Adjust Status may experience significant delays as local USCIS offices prepare for the influx of interviews that are now required. Employers and applicants should plan accordingly. In addition, the cost of obtaining permanent residency may soon rise for both employers and applicants. This could happen in the form of higher application fees to cover the cost of hiring more USCIS officers to conduct interviews, as well as higher legal fees or the need for employees to take time off work to deal with immigration processing issues.

Those who have pending I-485 or I-730 applications should be prepared to be called in for an in-person interview at a nearby USCIS office. Candidates should be ready to discuss the immigration benefit they are looking for during the interview, and they should be fully aware of the application that was submitted on their behalf. Applicants for employment-based green cards should be able to talk about the position they hold, including where they work, how much they are paid, and what their exact job responsibilities are. Families of refugees and asylees should be prepared to provide documentation establishing their kinship.

This new change to the permanent residency process is expected to be onerous.  Employers and applicants should work closely with counsel to prepare for this interview process.  Our office will continue to monitor the rollout of this new policy.  For questions or help in preparing for these interviews, please contact us.

Did you like this post? Share it!

One Comment

Comments are closed.

A Word From Our Sponsors

Ads help make Workology resources free for everyone. We respect your privacy. To see our Privacy Policy click here.

Recommended Posts

Episode 406: Digital Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility With Oneisha Freeman and Nikhil Deshpande

Workology Podcast powered by PEAT with Nikhil Deshpande and Oneisha Freeman talking about making the digital world accessible for all people....

What Jobs Are Available in the Online Casino Industry?

When the first online casino went live in 1994, it launched an entire industry. Many people were skeptical about the safety of gambling online,...

How Generative AI Can Support HR and Recruitment

How Generative AI Can Support HR and Recruitment

Learn how generative AI tools like Chat-GPT can help streamline your workload - with real world examples for HR and recruiting leaders!...

Checkout Our Products

Ads help make Workology resources free for everyone. We respect your privacy. To see our Privacy Policy click here.

More From Workology

How Generative AI Can Support HR and Recruitment

How Generative AI Can Support HR and Recruitment

Learn how generative AI tools like Chat-GPT can help streamline your workload - with real world examples for HR and recruiting leaders!

What Jobs Are Available in the Online Casino Industry?

Click on read more to open this post on our blog.

Episode 406: Digital Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility With Oneisha Freeman and Nikhil Deshpande

Workology Podcast powered by PEAT with Nikhil Deshpande and Oneisha Freeman talking about making the digital world accessible for all people.
best business books for HR consultants

The 8 Best Business Books for HR Consultants

Want to develop your HR consulting skills? Get our list of the best business books for HR consultants right here.