H-1B Information

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced on October 23, 2023, its plan to amend and modernize the H-1B specialty occupation worker program as an effort to “attract global talent, reduce undue burdens on employers, and prevent fraud and abuse in the immigration system” under the Biden...

USCIS recently confirmed the receipt of 780,884 registrations for FY 2024, marking an increase of about 62% from the previous year. This surge in registrations explains the low selection rates this year. This same agency also announced that it has verified the presence of collusion among technology companies who aim to improve the probability of...

Finally, some clarity from USCIS on a long standing issue. USCIS recently announced that they are updating the USCIS Policy Manual to address situations when the last day to file a benefit request or respond to a USCIS action falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday. In these situations, USCIS will consider a filing...

[pdf-embedder url=”https://patel-law-group.local/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Fact-Sheet.pdf” title=”Fact Sheet”]...

Last year USCIS came under heavy criticism for failing to issue all available employment-based green cards.  Due to the pandemic, most Consulates were closed or operating at a reduced capacity which meant that unused family-based visas rolled over into the employment-based green cards.  This was great news. Typically, there are 140,000 employment-based green cards available...

The Office of Foreign Labor certification (OFLC) is set to implement the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes on July 1, 2022. Any Labor condition applications (LCAs) submitted prior to July 1, 2022, will be adjudicated based on the 2010 SOC codes.  Any applications submitted after July 1, 2022, will be based on the new...

So, you have received approval for an H-1B visa, and , the project you are working on comes to an end. Another project is available. But, must your employer file an H-1B amendment before you start at the new location?  The answer is .Maybe The regulations need an H-1B amendment. This is when there is...

Rather than adjudicate cases faster USCIS is extending certain employment authorizations up to 540 days.  This is a clear sign that faster adjudication times are still a distant promise and further evidence that USCIS continues to be incompetent.  I remember the days when USCIS had a 90- day turn around policy for issuing EAD cards. ...