H-1B Work Visa
USCIS Resumes H-1B Premium Processing: 2018 Filings
Recently the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that the service would resume premium processing on February 19thfor those regular pool H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21stof 2018. This announcement follows an earlier resumption of premium processing for fiscal year 2019 masters-cap petitions. Those petitioners who have received a transfer notice…
Read MoreRevised Form I-539 (H-4, L-2, F-2, B-1, B-2, etc.) Available March 11th
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced new changes to the Form I-539, Application to Extend/ Change Nonimmigrant Status. On the cusp of the H-1B filing season, this new change will swiftly alter form requirements for several visa petitions, including the dependents of H-1B visa holders. Change to Form On March 11, 2019 and…
Read MoreH-1B Lottery Goes Electronic: FY 2021
On January 30th, the Department of Homeland Security released a final rule and amendment to H-1B petition regulations for those petitions subject to the H-1B cap. The new regulation requires petitioners filing H-1B visa petitions subject to both the regular cap and advance degree exemption to first electronically register with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services…
Read MoreUSCIS Introduces Online Fee Calculator
Regardless of the visa application, calculating total fees for filings can be a hassle. But what many don’t realize is that an improperly calculated fee payment would result in rejection of the complete application thereby leading to a longer application process. This tedious process has left many with rejected applications due to citing and submitting…
Read MoreUSCIS Resume Premium Processing: FY19 H-1B
On September 11, 2018, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) further suspended premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions while expanding the premium processing suspension for additional H-1B petitions. Last year’s suspension was set to expand well into February. However, USCIS has announced that the Service will continue premium processing on January 28th for all…
Read MoreE-Verify During the Shutdown (Government Shutdown Continues)
Message to Users While many sections of the federal government remain operational, including the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), other offices remain unopened. As previously reported, entire visa programs, like the Immigrant Investor Visa (EB-5) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, are at risk of discontinuation. Besides programmatic immigration issues, several maintenance services are…
Read MoreGovernment Shutdown: EB-5 Program & Immigration Agencies
In the absence of congressional authorization, the EB-5 foreign investors visa program was set to end on December 21st of 2018. However, following the government shutdown that began on December 20th of 2018 and continues into the 2019, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that the future of the EB-5 program will…
Read MoreDHS Proposed Rule: New Changes to Public Charge Inadmissibility
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new proposed rule which would outline the ways in which the agency determines a foreign national is inadmissible due to risk of becoming a public charge. Foreign nationals who wish to enter the U.S. or adjust their immigration status must provide evidence of financial stability, and…
Read MoreH-1B Pre-Registration: USCIS Proposed Rule
The speculation about drastic changes to the H-1B registration process has come to fruition with the new proposed rule out of the Department of Homeland Security. The amendment to the current H-1B specialty occupation visa program would require petitioners to electronically register with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) prior to start of…
Read MoreUSCIS Lawsuit: H-1B Visa Duration
A recent lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ITServe Alliance v. USCIS, aims to limit the discretionary powers of the United States Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) in limiting the approved duration of H-1B visas. ITServe Alliance, the largest association of information technology “IT” Services, Staffing, Consulting organizations, filed…
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