ESTA Resources

Will April 2019 see the start of the H1B lottery system? In January this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) approved the so-called “merit-based” H1B lottery draw and this method of allocation looks set to go live on April 1, 2019. Applicants must still file paper applications H1B visas as the online registrations system for HB1 will not start being tested until next year. There is a little…

Introduction The US Department of State Visa Bulletin for March 2019 has just been released and reveals some significant changes in wait times for both the employment-based and family-based categories. If you’re waiting for a green card, we advise you to have all the documents required for your application ready to hand so that you can file it as soon as the visa bulletin shows that an opportunity…

Introduction More than 37,000 US visa applications were rejected by the US State Department in 2018 due to President Trump's "travel ban," according to figures released earlier this week.  The State Department confirmed that the 2017 E.O. on immigration had been fully effective since December 2018. The third version of President Trump’s executive order, this places restrictions on immigration from…

President Trump declares a national emergency to get his border wall built In trying to avoid another Federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump has invoked his emergency powers to bypass Congress. He will divert up to $3.6 billion from Pentagon military funding towards the construction of the border wall with Mexico, a move that he justifies by declaring that the US is threatened by criminal…

Trump Administration Policies affect on Immigration The first U.S. government shutdown of 2019 ended last week, however, President Donald Trump is considering declaring a state of national emergency if the Democrats fail to approve $5.7 billion for the completion a border wall with Mexico. The wall was a flagship of his election campaign but other less visible policies have already had an impact on…

President Trump addresses his administrations immigration goals in his first Oval Office address to the nation Donald Trump described the situation at the Mexican border as a national crisis. He argued that the current immigration system allows organised criminals and gangs to prey on the vulnerable, especially women and children; Trump also continued to make his argument for the border wall which…

Introduction President Donald Trump has informed Republicans that he refuses to accept a stopgap bill that excludes funds for his border wall. Just a few weeks ago, President Trump appeared to soften his stance in the interests of fulfilling his hardline stance on immigration policy and border security. Now, however, a deal to avoid a shutdown of parts of the government over the holidays has been…

US Supreme Court rebuffs challenge to Trump’s border wall In a ruling seen as a victory for President Trump, the US Supreme Court has turned away a court challenge brought by three conservation groups. They claimed that the wall, a flagship of the administration's hardline immigration policies, was being constructed without regard for environmental laws. Lawsuits brought by the Animal Legal Defense…

Federal courts challenge President Trump’s attempts to limit asylum The attempts of President Donald Trump to significantly reduce asylum applications are about to be challenged in two federal courts on the 26th November. These hearings will be decisive in determining the numbers of migrants currently in the so-called caravan will be allowed to enter the USA.  In recent months, the administration…

Trump sends soldiers to the border with Mexico as the caravans of migrants from Honduras trek north With the mid-term elections taking place this week, President Donald Trump is acting tough on illegal immigration. With the caravans of migrants still hundreds of miles away, US troops have arrived at the US-Mexican border and have started to fan out across southern Texas, erecting barbed wire fences…