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News & EventsForm I-9: Useful Information on the basics of I-9 completion and employer obligations
When a U.S. citizen or noncitizen is hired by a U.S. employer for employment in the United States, both the employee and employer must fill out Form I-9, which is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals. Form I-9 is available on the...
ICE Releases Worksite Enforcement FY 2014 Annual Report
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) released the Worksite Enforcement FY2014 Annual Report that includes information on worksite enforcement investigations, criminal and administrative employee and employer arrests, and the fines assessed and collected each...
Breaking News on L-1 BLANKET I-94 Validity Dates
The following is a summary taken from a memorandum issued by the AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) and DOS (U.S. Department of State) Liaison Committee on October 8, 2015. The U.S. Department of State Visa Office (VO) clarified its current policy...
USCIS Implements Acceptance of Adjustment Applications from Filing-Eligible Foreign Nationals in November
USCIS has confirmed that it will accept adjustment applications beginning in November from foreign nationals with a priority date that makes them eligible for application filing according to the State Department’s November Visa Bulletin. Under the reformed Visa...
Delays in Processing Times for USCIS
Currently, it appears that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is experiencing delays in processing times for nonimmigrant visa applications. According to processing time reports as of August 31, 2015, H-1B applications filed at the Vermont...
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) OPT (Optional Practical Training) Extension Proposed Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has just released its proposed rule for extending optional practical training for international students working in the U.S. The proposed rule will give international students who study Science, Technology, Engineering and...
New L-1B Ltr Writing Guideline
With continuing increase in the number of Request for Further Evidence (“RFE”) and denials for L-1B petitions, the USCIS has finally issued a new memorandum hoping to clarify what type of evidence will satisfy the requirements for an L-1B Visa. More specifically, it...
FY 2017 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Opened on October 1
What is the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery? The United States makes 50,000 green card numbers available annually through random selection and is open to foreign nationals of countries that historically have had low rates of immigration to the United States. Individuals...
Mini Article: Revisions in the October Visa Bulletin
On September 25, 2015, the Department of State issued a revised Visa Bulletin for October 2015. The new revision rolls back the cutoff dates for eligibility to file for adjustment of status or an immigrant visa. Specifically, the new Visa Bulletin rolls back...
Change in Annotation on L-1 Visa Stamp
We have noticed a recent change in the annotation on L-1 visa stamps issued by the U.S. Department of State. Previously, all L-1 visa stamps including L-1A, L-1B and L Blanket included an annotation that said: “must present Approved I-797 or I-129S at POE”. However,...