Boundless Immigration News Weekly Recap Archive: February 2, 2024

USCIS Fees To Increase In April 2024

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is moving forward with a significant fee increase for various immigration applications. This change represents the first major fee adjustment since 2016. The new prices are set to take effect on April 1, 2024.

This increase has substantial implications, particularly for family-based immigration applications. Learn more here.

Supreme Court Sides With Biden Administration Over Texas Border Razor Wire

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden administration by allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to remove razor wire fences installed by Texas officials along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The case is one of several legal battles between the Biden administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott over the governor’s border security measures, Operation Lone Star. CBP officials say the razor barriers have injured dozens of migrants and pose a safety hazard to border agents.

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GOP Pushes Back Against Biden Administration’s Immigration Parole Policy

Negotiations over a border policy proposal have stalled in the Senate over the Biden administration’s immigration parole program. Republican lawmakers have warned Biden administration officials that the issue of parole must be addressed in order to push the deal forward. Biden launched parole measures as a way to quell border crossings and encourage migrants to utilize legal immigration paths.

Green Card Backlog Decreases by 4% in December

The Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) saw a decrease in the immigrant visa (IV) backlog, from 304,773 in November to 292,105 in December — a 4% decrease.

The number of green card applicants whose cases were documentarily complete and ready to be scheduled for an interview decreased, from 341,392 in November to 337,870 (a 1% decrease). The number of people scheduled for green card interviews also saw an increase — 45,765 in December compared to 36,619 interviews in November.