Amidst a housing shortage and affordability crisis, homebuilding in the US surged in February as builders anticipate continued strong demand for new homes. For more information:

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/19/economy/new-home-construction-february/index.html

Multiple migrant groups across the country are ramping up advocacy efforts as anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise during a contentious election year. For more information:

https://www.mlive.com/reckon/2024/03/migrant-advocacy-groups-are-increasing-grassroots-efforts-to-combat-anti-immigrant-sentiment.html

It is the latest sign that inflation pressures in the economy remain elevated and may not cool as fast as the Federal Reserve or the current administration would like in the coming months. For more information:

https://apnews.com/article/inflation-wholesale-prices-consumer-federal-reserve-rates-b0456bd9bdc0cfdb5945f443ff75d865

Investors concur with the majority of officials signaling a June cut, as February consumer prices rose 2.6% from a year ago, in line with the estimated 2.5%. For more information:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-01/eurozone-inflation-slows-less-than-forecast-backing-ecb-caution?srnd=economics-v2

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ new inflation-adjusted premium processing fees go into effect today, increasing the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing. For more information:

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/reminder-adjustment-to-premium-processing-fees-takes-effect-today

We address technical issues promptly, including impacts on non-H-1B cases for legal representatives whose accounts are migrated upon login. for more information:

https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/fy-2025-h-1b-registration-period-and-myuscis-organizational-account-reminders

The United States has introduced a final rule targeting fraud prevention and efficiency enhancement in the H-1B visa registration process. This crucial move seeks to bolster the integrity of the H-1B visa system, widely utilized by U.S. companies to recruit foreign workers with specialized skills, particularly in the technology sector.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/work/h-1b-visa-registration-for-fy25-to-begin-on-march-6-as-us-announces-a-complete-overhaul/articleshow/107280026.cms

Migrant advocates reject draft border control law, terming it a setback to back-era policies and excluding long-term undocumented immigrants. For more information:

As it seems unlikely that legislation on border security will pass in Congress, the plans being considered indicate the desire to take action before the expected rise in border numbers, which have dropped in the past month. For more information:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/biden-administration-weighs-executive-action-border-migrants-rcna137804

As reflected in the April 2023 Visa Bulletin, final action and application filing dates for Employment-Based Fourth Preference (EB-4) immigrant visa applicants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are now provided in the column headed “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.” This change is necessary to bring EB-4 visa number allocation into compliance with U.S. immigration law.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/employment-based-fourth-preference-eb4-announcement.html