Blog Archives

Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman Recommends U Visa Parole Policy

The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman has issued its Recommendation to USCIS regarding a U visa parole policy.  The policy would facilitate parole for individuals who are eligible for U nonimmigrant visa status and who reside outside

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Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas

SEVP Issues STEM Designated Degree Program List

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has created a STEM Designated Degree Program list, which includes the fields of study that the Department of Homeland Security considers to be science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields for the purpose of

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Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas

Lawsuit Against DHS and USCIS Seeks Transparency in H-1B Lottery Process

The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) have brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The lawsuit is brought under the Freedom of Information Act

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Posted in In The News

Reports of Scam Letters Being Sent to L-1A Executives

Members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) have reported that suspicious letters are being sent to L-1A executives. The scam letters claim to be from USCIS and signed by Lori Scialabba, Deputy Director of USCIS. The letters use incorrect

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Posted in In The News

DHS Proposes To Raise Filing Fees By 21%

In a proposed rule published in the May 4 Federal Register, DHS is proposing to raise its fees by an average of 21% to recover the full cost of USCIS operations. DHS is also proposing to establish a three-level fee

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Posted in In The News

USCIS Has Completed Data Entry of FY 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions

On May 2, 2016, USCIS announced that it has completed data entry for all FY 2017 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in this year’s lottery. H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in the lottery are being returned. USCIS is unable to provide

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Posted in H-1B Visa Petitions, In The News

Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Important Immigration Case, United States v. Texas

On April 18, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas, the lawsuit challenging President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. The case concerns a program that President Obama announced in November of 2014 called Deferred

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Posted in In The News

USCIS Has Completed FY 2017 H-1B Cap Lottery

On April 7, 2016, USCIS announced that it had received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for FY 2017. They also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree

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Posted in H-1B Visa Petitions, In The News

USCIS Transfers Workload from the Vermont Service Center to the California Service Center

USCIS has issued an alert on workload transfer from the Vermont Service Center (VSC) to the California Service Center (CSC) to balance workloads and decrease processing times. The CSC will now be processing some: Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant

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Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas, USCIS New Policies/Procedures

DOS Announces New Policy for Phasing-out of U.S. Employment Authorization for Diplomats’ Dependents

The Department of State has announced a new policy for phasing out the ability of diplomats’ dependents holding A-2 visas to receive employment authorization in the U.S. For new applications, the Department’s Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) will consider applications

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Posted in In The News
About ABCs of Immigration Law
The global economy has become increasingly transactional and transcontinental. Since 9/11, there have been many amendments to immigration laws in the United States that have largely affected both individuals and businesses. Cozen O'Connor's immigration law blog, ABC's of Immigration Law, focuses on the interests and the challenges faced by those individuals and business impacted by immigration laws.
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