Now is the time for employers to assess their FY2020 H-1B needs and start preparing their petitions for submission on April 1. It is very likely that the cap for H-1B petitions will be reached in early April of this year, so...more
Most operations across US immigration agencies are either fee based or considered “essential” and therefore would be expected to proceed normally if the government were to shut down on December 22....more
In the January 2019 visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State, EB-1 remains backlogged for all country allotments, advancing by only two-and-a-half to three months....more
12/18/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
A registration program proposed by US Citizenship and Immigration Services would eliminate the need for paper filings prior to the lottery process for cap-subject H-1B petitions, and increase the chance of selection for...more
In the October 2018 visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State, EB-1 remains backlogged for all countries of chargeability, and EB-2 and EB-3 are once again current for worldwide allotment....more
9/14/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced without warning that it will extend its suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions and, beginning September 11, expand it to include additional H-1B...more
EB-1 to retrogress for most categories; EB-3 China to advance by one year.
The US Department of State has released its August 2018 Visa Bulletin setting out per-country priority date cutoffs that regulate immigrant visa...more
7/18/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
Popular ,
US Department of State ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
The Court’s decision affirms President Donald Trump’s authority to ban noncitizens from entry into the United States if he finds it necessary for the country’s protection....more
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 India advances slightly....more
6/20/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
Popular ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 India advances slightly....more
5/18/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 China and EB-3 India cutoff dates will advance....more
4/19/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
The announcement from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services came as a surprise and could create significant uncertainty for H-1B petitioners and the beneficiaries of cap-subject H-1B petitions....more
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories will retrogress, while EB-2 China and EB-3 India will advance....more
3/13/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
Most operations are either fee-based or considered “essential” and are therefore expected to proceed normally.
Barring passage of an eleventh-hour spending bill, the current continuing resolution will expire on January 20...more
Now is the time for employers to assess their FY2019 H-1B needs and start preparing their petitions for submission on April 2....more
Potential change would impact three-year extensions under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act.
Recent press reports suggest that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services will accept applications to comply with a recent court order, but will work concurrently to publish rules to rescind the program entirely. ...more
Pending further appeals, the Court’s decisions grant the federal government’s request to enforce President Trump’s September 24 executive order that limits entry into the United States by nationals from eight countries....more
The Court’s decision leaves in place the relevant parts of a July 13 decision by a federal district judge in Hawaii finding the administration’s interpretation of “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United...more
The diplomatic cable instructs consulates on how to interpret the US Supreme Court’s direction to enforce the restriction only against foreign nationals who lack a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United...more
The travel ban will go into force regarding “foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”...more
Two sections of the March 6 executive order regarding US travel by nationals of certain countries and refugee admissions were enjoined pending further litigation....more
Employers should plan to immediately cancel for at least 90 days all international travel by employees or individuals doing business with your company who will be subject to the travel ban, and prepare for potential...more
Ninth Circuit affirms injunction of travel ban; interior enforcement begins.
US President Donald Trump’s executive order (EO)—which included directives to ban the entry of individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries...more
2/13/2017
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Refugees ,
Restraining Orders ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
Issued and upcoming executive orders by President Trump will impact business immigration in addition to family immigration and refugee programs.
On the evening of Friday, January 27, US President Donald Trump issued an...more
1/31/2017
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen