Immigration 101: The Fundamentals of PERM

This article addresses the fundamentals of obtaining a green card through "PERM," or Program Electronic Review Management.  If you are currently working for an employer in a visa category that allows you to apply for a green card through PERM, this article provides important information that you should know regarding the PERM process.  This article is not meant to be a comprehensive analysis of the PERM process.  It merely provides a context for which you can begin to understand what PERM is generally and some of the requirements during the process.

Visa Bulletin Update: EB-2 Priority Date Progresses One Year

If you review the DOS Visa Bulletin for February 2012 here, you will see that employment-based second preference cut-off date for India has moved to 1/1/2010.  This means that the EB-2 category has moved up an entire year.  In January of 2012, the cut-off date was 1/1/09.  Great news for those Indian nationals who have a priority date (i.e., In green card processing through PERM, your priority date is the date when the PERM petition is received by the DOL) at any point in 2009.  You can now file your green card application (Form I-485).

U.S. Consulate in Chennai, India No Longer Processing Immigrant Visas (IVs)

Effective January 1, 2012, the US Consulate General in Chennai will no longer process Immigrant Visa petitions. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will become the only centers in India that will accept Immigrant Visas. The Immigrant Visa, i.e., green card, allows an individual to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis, as well as provides the immigrant the opportunity to work towards U.S. citizenship. Examples of Immigrant Visa based petitions are family based petitions of parents, children and siblings. These petitions also include the K-1 Fiancée visa and the employer category, where one’s employer can petition for the individual and their dependents to immigrate to the United States through the PERM process.