Hi [FORMATTED_FIRST_NAME GOES HERE],
Happy Wednesday. ✨
Soundarya here, founder of unshackled.club. :)
Exciting update: Registrations are now open at all 15 universities for the Unshackled Campus Tour! In case you didn't know, I'm going on a country-wide tour in April 2024 to speak at 15 universities and educate international students on the immigration system, along with lawyers and visa experts. If you're from one of the 15 universities on here, go ahead and RSVP now.
Spots are limited to 250 per university.
Now, onto the newsletter.
You're receiving this email as part of the Unshackled weekly newsletter. Immigration is a complex world. So every Wednesday, I simplify that by sharing breaking news, free webinar invites, & latest trends. If you find value in reading it, forward this to a lucky friend. If this was forwarded to you, get your own here! Read all the past editions here. 💃 |
This week's TL;DR
📌 UNfold: Breaking news
March 2024 US Visa Bulletin: Positive Strides for EB-1 Indian Green Card Applicants
The March 2024 US Visa Bulletin is here, and there is some good news for Indian immigrants. The final action date for EB-1 has moved forward by one month from September 1st, 2020, to October 1st, 2020. It's also moved forward by 15 days for Chinese immigrants from July 1st, 2022, to July 15th, 2022. Sadly, there's been no change in EB-2/3 categories for Indian immigrants.
A bipartisan border and national security Bill, blocked by Republicans in the US Senate, aimed to address various immigration issues and provide relief to Indians stuck in green card backlogs. The Bill covered areas such as employment authorization, aging out, and family-based green cards. It particularly targeted individuals on K-1 fiancé/e and K-3 spouse visas, H-4 spouses and children of H1-B visa holders, and those awaiting employment-based green cards. The proposed changes included simplifying employment authorization for H-4 spouses and extending it to H-4 children. Despite its failure, the Bill shed light on key immigration issues for legal Indian immigrants.
USCIS has implemented changes to the H-1B registration process, making it "beneficiary-centric." This change aims to provide an equal chance of selection for registrants, addressing concerns about potential abuse of the registration system. The new system will select each beneficiary only once, reducing the chances of gaming the process. The final rule, effective from March 4, 2024, also includes other changes related to the registration process, such as requiring the beneficiary's valid passport or travel document information and clarifying the requested start date in an H-1B petition.
🎁 UNlock: Webinar invites & resources
Join this 60-minute webinar, led by immigration partners Fatima Khan and Carlos Ortiz, which offers insights into H-1B eligibility, modernization changes, and the lottery process. This session is essential for employers sponsoring foreign nationals, providing valuable information ahead of the March 6, 2024, registration opening.
Join this webinar with Richard M. Green, Partner & Chair of CDF's Immigration Practice Group, as they explore the essentials of the H-1B visa. Discover eligibility, recent changes, and strategies for accessing international talent. Gain insights into the recent USCIS overhaul and its impact on you / your company. This is ideal for HR professionals, talent managers, in-house counsel, business owners, and compliance officers.
[Extraordinary Visa Library] Debarya Dutta - Head of Machine Learning / Data Science, Deliveroo - EB-1A recipient
Welcome to the next edition of the Extraordinary Visa Library -- a joint initiative between Unshackled and Schmidt Futures! In this edition, we have Debarya Dutta. Debarya has an interesting story. He doesn’t currently live in the United States, rather he lives in the UK. But, in January of 2023, he began working on his EB-1A application to move to Silicon Valley and establish a network here. Even though he was hit with an RFE, he eventually got his EB-1A approved in August 2023. Debarya is now the Head of Machine Learning at Deliveroo. Enjoy this podcast!
🪄 UNveil: This week’s partners
Are you a tech professional facing US work visa challenges? If your STEM-OPT visa is about to expire and you are wondering what happens next, our partner MobSquad has a solution. MobSquad helps tech professionals like you eliminate US work visa issues by enabling you to continue working with your current company, nearshore from Canada. In as little as 4 weeks, they obtain work permits for you and your family. Start planning your H-1B Plan B and book a free 1:1 call with the team at MobSquad!
Looking to set up your business bank account? Enter Mercury. It took me less than 15 minutes to set up a business bank account for my company with Mercury. If you're a founder or just need to set up a business bank account, this is your go-to solution. To make it even more attractive, once you deposit $10k, you'll earn $250 as a bonus!
👉 Want to put yourself in front of 11,000+ high-skilled immigrants? Just hit reply to start a conversation.
Until next week, stay amazing.
Yours truly,
Soundarya 💚
💡 None of the information shared in this newsletter is meant to be legal advice. If you're looking for legal advice, speak to a lawyer, or hit reply and let me know so I can connect you with one.