NewsFlash! Family-Based Cases to Use Dates-for-Filing Chart in Oct 2017 Visa...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the more favorable ‘dates for filing’ chart in the October 2017 Visa Bulletin must be used for family-based cases....
View ArticleSpending Bill Extends Several Immigration Programs until 08.Dec.2017
As expected, President Trump signed a bill into law on Friday, September 8, 2017, to fund the federal government through December 8, 2017. The bill includes numerous other provisions, including...
View ArticleNewsFlash! USCIS Reinstates Premium Processing for FY2018 Cap-Subject H1B...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has resumed premium-processing service for H1B petitions selected under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap. This announcement...
View ArticleUSCIS Reaches U Visa Limit for FY17
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved 10,000 U visa petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2017, the maximum allowed per year by law under this category. The U visa is reserved for...
View Article30/60/90 Day Policy Revised on Misrepresentation and Preconceived Intent
On September 1, 2017, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) revised its Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) policy guidance to consular officers regarding “misrepresentation” under the Immigration and...
View ArticlePretrial Agreements May Qualify as Convictions Under the INA
The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) recently clarified when pretrial agreements in criminal cases qualify as “convictions” under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). In its decision in the...
View ArticleFY19 Diversity Lottery Registration
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has issued instructions for entry in the fiscal year 2019 (FY19) diversity visa (DV) lottery. The DV lottery, often called the “green card” lottery, grants 50,000...
View ArticleUSCIS Moves Headquarters to Camp Springs, Maryland
The General Services Administration (GSA) announced that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will move its headquarters to Camp Springs, Maryland. The USCIS currently has...
View ArticleNewsFlash! USCIS to Reinstate Premium Processing for All H1B Petitions by...
Yesterday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) informed the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that it will resume the availability of premium-processing service for all...
View ArticleLast Name First – No Joking Matter!
When dealing with the government, the result of using unofficial adaptations of one’s name for official documents can cause big problems in the immigration process. Surprisingly, immigration laws and...
View ArticleFrequently Asked Questions On H1B Wage Level 1 RFEs
Just as employers and their respective attorneys were getting ready to file thousands of H1B cap subject petitions for fiscal year 2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a...
View ArticleNewsFlash! U.S. Consulates in Turkey Suspend Processing of Nonimmigrant Visas
On Sunday, October 8, 2017, the U.S. Mission to Turkey announced that, effective immediately, the U.S. embassy and consulates in Turkey have suspended processing nonimmigrant visas. This action was...
View ArticleU.S. Army Reneges on Contracts for Foreign-Born MAVNI Recruits
U.S. Army recruiters have canceled enlistment contracts for many foreign-born military recruits recruited through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program. Reports state that...
View ArticleDOL Proposed Changes to LCAs
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is considering regulatory changes to form ETA-9035, which is the labor condition application (LCA) used in the H1B petition process. Included in the proposal are...
View ArticleNovember 2017 Visa Bulletin: Minimal Movement
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the November 2017 Visa Bulletin, which provides little-to-no forward movement in the heavily oversubscribed employment-based categories. There was no...
View ArticleTips for Analyzing Wage Level 1 RFEs
Following the release of a memorandum in March 2017 related to H1B petitions filed for computer programmers, the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has been issuing requests...
View ArticleNewsFlash! Latest Travel Ban Blocked By Two Federal Courts
This morning, a federal judge in Maryland blocked the Trump Administration from enforcing the travel ban issued by executive order on September 24, 2017. This version of the travel ban was to apply to...
View ArticleCurrent Administration & Immigration
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View ArticlePolicy Memo Defines ‘Affiliate’ and ‘Subsidiary’ for Purposes of Determining...
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a new policy memorandum regarding the definitions of affiliate and subsidiary for the purposes of H1B filing fee determinations....
View ArticleApply for EAD and Social Security Number Simultaneously
Form I-765, which is used to apply for an employment authorization document (EAD), now provides the option for the applicant to simultaneously apply for a Social Security number (SSN). In an...
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