AC21 Issues
The term "AC21" is shorthand for
The American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First
Century Act. This legislation, passed in 2000, was intended to provide relief for nonimmigrants and immigrants
caught up in the immigration morass.
The legislation provides relief for H1B nonimmigrants in several areas. Iif someone who has ever held H1B status or had an H1B petition approved, and is in lawful status, may begin working immediately upon the filing of a new H1B petition. It also permits certain qualified H1B nonimmigrant to extend their status beyond six years.
The AC21 legislation provides relief for employment based adjustment by granting them the right to change jobs and or employers if their applications for adjustment of status have been pending for at least 180 days, provided they remain in "the same or similar occupational classification."
Finally, while not formally binding, the legislation includes a "sense of the Congress" resolution stating that all nonimmigrant matters should be processed by the immigration service within 30 days and all other matters should be processed within six months.
Please review these articles carefully. They should answer most, if not all of your AC21 questions. If you still have questions, or would like to discuss what our office can do to help you with your AC21 issues, please feel free to contact us.