Visas

The American Farm Bureau has commissioned a new study which says food prices will spike if the nation doesn't give legal status to farm workers and establish a new guest worker program. The study's release comes soon after House Republican leaders signaled they're unlikely to move on the issue this year.

10,000 U visas for crime victims who cooperate with authorities in exchange for legal status have already been granted since Oct. 1 of this year. Petitioners who are approved for the rest of the fiscal year will have to wait until next October to get work authorization.

The Cuban consulate in Washington DC announced on Tuesday that it would be immediately suspending all consular services until further notice: as such, it will no longer be issuing passports and travel visas to the Caribbean island.

Backlogs swelled in the nation's immigration courts for the seventh year in a row, growing by an additional 10,266 cases.

The State Department said it will continue processing visas during this shutdown, unlike the shutdown 18 years ago. Those hoping to enter the U.S., however, should expect major delays.

A bill to create a permanent visa program for foreigners with advanced science and technical degrees cleared the House of Representatives on Friday, the latest salvo in the broader fight over U.S. immigration reform.