FEBRUARY 2023 VISA BULLETIN

Next month, EB-1 India and China will maintain their Final Action cutoff date of February 1, 2022 and their Dates of Filing cutoff date of June 1, 2022. EB-2 India Final Action date stays at October 8, 2011. The EB-2 India Dates for Filing cutoff will remain at May 1, 2012. The EB-3 India Professional/Skilled Worker Final Action date will remain at June 15, 2012 and Dates for Filing cutoff will remain at August 1, 2012. The Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for all other employment-based categories will remain the same in February.

GOVERNOR HOCHUL SIGNS THE STOP IMMIGRATION BOND ABUSE ACT INTO LAW

The new law will provide protections for immigrants in New York who have to pay bond to be released from ICE custody. The intention of the Act is to curb private bond companies from exploiting these vulnerable individuals. A cap would be put on the amount that bond companies could charge for their services and the common-place practice of immigration bond businesses requiring electronic monitoring as a condition of immigration bail would be prohibited. Gov. Hochul is hopeful that in signing this Act into law, other states will be driven to enact similar legislation providing safeguards to these vulnerable communities.

DOJ SECURES SETTLEMENT WITH BROADWAY TICKET SERVICES COMPANY TO RESOLVE IMMIGRATION-RELATED DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

The Department of Justice determined that Broadway Direct, a ticket services company based in New York, violated the INA by discriminating against non-US citizen workers based on citizenship status in its advertising and hiring for a position based in New York. After learning that Broadway Direct had job postings limited solely to U.S.C. applicants. Under the INA, employers generally cannot discriminate based on citizenship, immigration status, or national origin at any stage of the process. According to the terms of the settlement, a civil penalty will have to be paid to the United States, staff will have to be trained on the INA's anti-discrimination provisions and must also review and revise their employment policies. Additionally, they must be subject to departmental monitoring for a two-year period.