by admin | Jun 22, 2016 | General News, Immigrant Visas
JULY 2016 VISA BULLETIN NO MAJOR RETROGRESSION OR ADVANCEMENT FOR EMPLOYMENT-BASED CATEGORIES. The Department of State (DOS) has issued its July 2016 Visa Bulletin with no major retrogression or advancement for the EB-1 (Priority Workers), EB-2 (Professions Holding...
by admin | May 24, 2016 | General News
The Department of State has issued its June 2016 Visa Bulletin with major retrogressions in priority dates for India’s and China’s EB-2 (Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability) and EB-3 (Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Other Workers) nonimmigrant visa...
by admin | May 13, 2016 | General News, H-1B, Non-Immigrant Visas
International students who have studied STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects for their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees from U.S. universities and who are completing their 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs...
by admin | May 12, 2016 | General News, Immigration News
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week a proposal to increase the fees of certain U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) applications. Fee increases generally range from 8 to 60%. However, filing fees related to the EB-5 green card...
by admin | May 11, 2016 | E-1/E-2, General News, Non-Immigrant Visas
For individuals from certain countries who are interested in working, investing, or starting a business in the U.S., one option to consider is the “E” visa. This article will briefly address what an E-1 and E-2 visa is, discuss some key issues and requirements for...
by admin | May 11, 2016 | General News, L-1, Non-Immigrant Visas
The USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) recently adopted a binding decision on how to determine “managerial capacity” for L-1A classification. Specifically, the decision holds that when staffing levels are considered in deciding whether an individual will act as...
by admin | Apr 7, 2016 | General News, H-1B, Non-Immigrant Visas
On April 1, 2016, USCIS began accepting H-1B applications for FY2017 (for the fiscal year from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017). USCIS will receive petitions until they determine that they have received more than the maximum allowed under the H-1B cap quota...
by admin | Mar 24, 2016 | General News
Based on the past few years, it’s reasonable to predict that we will see another lottery for FY 2017. From FY 2014 all the way to 2016 there was a lottery in the first week of April for the Regular Cap as well as the Advanced degree Cap. USCIS will monitor the number...
by admin | Mar 21, 2016 | General News, H-1B, Non-Immigrant Visas
On March 11, 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published amended regulations on OPT for International Students with STEM Degrees. The amended regulations will allow F-1 STEM students to be able to extend their OPT for an additional 24 months beyond...
by admin | Mar 14, 2016 | General News
In January 2015, as part of the White House’s 2015 immigration modernization plan, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it is testing a new Known Employer program, which ultimately aims to streamline the adjudication of some employment-based...
