L-1 Visa
Arrival/Departure History Now Available on I-94 Webpage
Foreign visitors entering the United States are issued Form I-94 by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) denoting Arrival/Departure Record. In the past, the I-94 was issued in paper format but since April 30, 2013 I-94s became accessible electronically online at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/request.html On May 1, 2014 CBP announced further improvements to the system and the new webpage…
Read MoreUSCIS Issuing RFE for Expiring Medical Exams
It has come to our attention that the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun issuing request for additional evidence (RFE) for updated medical exams. As many of our readers know, medical examination report (I-693) is a required document for application for adjustment of status (AOS). The endorsement of a civil surgeon on Form…
Read MoreFY15 H-1B Cap Update
As we previously reported, fiscal year 2015 (FY15) H-1B Cap was reached on April 7th for both regular cap and advanced degree (master’s) cap. Subsequently, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) completed the lottery process on April 10th. We at Sharma Law Offices received our first electronic receipts on April 11th for cases filed using…
Read MoreFiscal Year 2015 H-1B Cap Reached
As expected, on April 07 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the statutory H-1B cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2015 has been reached. The 20,000 cap on advanced-degree exemption was exceeded at the same time as USCIS received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions. Once USCIS completes intake…
Read MoreMay 2014 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Remains Unchanged (DOS Prediction)
U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the May 2014 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Under the Employment Based (EB) category, cutoff dates for EB-2 India remain at November 15, 2004 though cutoff dates for EB-3 India have moved forward by couple of weeks to…
Read MoreTravel Abroad with a Pending Change of Status
As we approach the FY 2015 H-1B cap season, we wish to remind our readers about travel consideration for those transitioning from their current non-immigrant status to H-1B status. As explained in our previous article, Last Action Rule (Travel Abroad with Approved Change of Status), students with an approved H-1B can travel abroad (without abandoning…
Read MoreLast Action Rule (Travel Abroad with Approved Change of Status)
This time of the year, when many F-1 students are changing status from F-1 to H-1B, we want to remind them about issues they may potentially face if they wish to travel abroad before their H-1B start date. Though not a formal rule or a case law, guidance in the form of a letter was…
Read MoreMarch 2014 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 India Remains Unchanged (DOS Prediction)
U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the March 2014 Visa Bulletin which is the sixth Visa Bulletin for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. Under the Employment Based (EB) category, cutoff dates for EB-2 India remain at November 15, 2004 though cutoff dates for EB-3 India have moved forward by couple of weeks to…
Read MoreH-1B Cap Season for FY 2015: Master’s Cap Issues
With the H-1B filing window opening on April 1st, 2014, you should be aware of an important issue while filing H-1B under advanced-degree exemption, also called master’s cap. Each year 20,000 H-1B visas are available under the advanced degree exemption for individuals who have earned a master’s or higher degree from an accredited institution in…
Read MorePlanning for FY 2015 H-1B Cap Season
As we approach April 1, 2014, we want to take the opportunity to make our readers aware of important nuances of H-1B cap season. The US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will start accepting cap-subject H-1B petitions for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Cap Season on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Last year, the cap for…
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