H-1B Work Visa
I-94 Format Change: Arrival/Departure Form Number
The United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) updated guidance for I-94 and I-94W Arrival and Departure forms. Beginning May 2019, I-94 records will be alphanumeric, a change from the strictly numeric 11 digit system. Depletion of Numeric-Only I-94s Codes The record numbers for form I-94s are essential in any immigration application. While these record…
Read MoreDOL Investigations Yields Order for H-1B Backpay
A United States Department of Labor (DOL) investigation has resulted in a federal order for a Minnesota technology company to pay an engineer back wages to the amount of $43,336. A federal judge ruled against the company, citing violations to H-1B wage regulations. The Case The DOL Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) and its…
Read MoreThe $5 Billion Behind H-1B: NFAP Report
Several media sources, and employers across the nation, were surprised when the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), a non-partisan research group, released aggregated data from the last two decades of H-1B filings. Since Fiscal Year 1999, H-1B fees payed by employers totaled nearly $5 billion. The report, released early April, highlights many of ways…
Read MoreUSCIS 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…
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