USCIS has announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2017 cap on April 1, 2016. The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with…
Blog Archives
USCIS Will Begin Accepting H-1B Petitions for FY2017 on April 1, 2016
Tagged with: H-1B cap, H-1B Visa Petitions, premium processing, USCIS
Posted in H-1B Visa Petitions, In The News
Posted in H-1B Visa Petitions, In The News
DHS Extends OPT Period to Improve Opportunities for F-1 Visa STEM Students
The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule in the Federal Register on March 11, 2016 that will allow certain international students to stay and work in the United States on their student visas as long as three years…
Tagged with: Department of Homeland Security, F-1 Visa, Optional Practical Training, STEM
Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
DOS and DHS Announce Changes to the Visa Waiver Program
The Department of State and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement on January 21, 2016 on the implementation of certain changes under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. The Visa Waiver Program…
Tagged with: Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Eligibility, New Regulations, Visa Waiver Program
Posted in In The News
Posted in In The News
DHS Announces Final Rule Improving Certain Programs for Highly Skilled Workers
Last week, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule that improves the programs for the H-1B1 (specialty occupations from Chile, Singapore), E-3 (specialty occupations from Australia) and CW-1 (CNMI-Only Transitional Worker) nonimmigrant classifications and the EB-1 (employment-based first…
Tagged with: Amended Regulations, CW-1, Department of Homeland Security, E-3, EB-1, H-1B1
Posted in Immigrant Visas, In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
Posted in Immigrant Visas, In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
New Bill Increases L-1 and H-1B Visa Application Fees for Certain Companies
Last week, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 which provides full-year appropriations through September 2016 for all government agencies. Included in this bill are fee increases for certain L-1 and H-1B petitions for companies with more than…
Tagged with: 50/50 Companies, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, Fee Increases, H-1B Visa, L-1 Visa
Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
Posted in In The News, Nonimmigrant Visas
Legislation Proposed to Reform H-1B and L-1 Visa Programs
In November, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chairman of Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Assistant Democratic Leader, introduced a new bipartisan legislation seeking to reform and reduce fraud and abuse in certain programs for foreign workers working temporarily…
Tagged with: H-1B, Immigration Policy, L-1, Proposed Legislation, Visa Program Reform
Posted in In The News
Posted in In The News
New Speaker Paul Ryan Postponing Talks About Immigration Reform Until 2017
Newly elected speaker, Paul Ryan (R-Wis), is already busy settling into his role and deciding what major policies he wants to tackle first. Excluded from his policy list is immigration reform. Ryan has decided to hold off on advancing any…
Tagged with: 2016 Elections, Immigration Policy, Immigration Reform, Legislation, Speaker Paul Ryan
Posted in In The News
Posted in In The News
BALCA Affirms CO’s Denial Where Beneficiary Has an Ownership Interest in Closely Held Company
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) upheld a Certifying Officer’s denial of an Employer’s Application for Permanent Certification due to the fact that the beneficiary and her husband each had a 50% ownership interest in the sponsoring entity.…
Tagged with: BALCA, Company ownership, Employer's Application for Permanent Certification
Posted in In The News
Posted in In The News
USCIS’ Draft of Policy Manual Guidance on Extreme Hardship Available for Comment
USCIS has released a draft of the USCIS policy manual guidance on extreme hardship. This manual includes guidance on several different topics including: General considerations, interpretations, and adjudication steps Establishing a qualifying relative Extreme hardship factors Extreme hardship determinations Discretion…
Tagged with: Extreme Hardship, Policy Manual Draft, USCIS
Posted in In The News, USCIS New Policies/Procedures
Posted in In The News, USCIS New Policies/Procedures
