The Visa Bulletin is a critical resource for anyone seeking to immigrate to the United States. This monthly publication, issued by the US Department of State (DOS), provides valuable information on the availability of immigrant visas for individuals from various countries and categories. Understanding the Visa Bulletin and its complex system of priority dates and...
Employment-Based Immigration
Apr42023
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...
USCIS continues to expand its premium processing service, and this now includes work authorizations filed by F-1 students. Students who have a pending I-765 application will have the option to file their work authorizations in Premium Processing beginning March 6, 2023. This includes the following categories: (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT; (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and...
With the FY2024 electronic registration approaching employers and their potential candidates are getting ready to submit their entries into the H-1B lottery. However, with only 85,000 visas available and given that last year saw almost half a million registrations people are wondering how they can improve their chances of being selected. I often get asked...
One of the biggest issues faced by spouses of H-1 and L-1 holders in the last few years was that USCIS stopped processing their applications even when filed with the principal application. This resulted in much uncertainty and due to delays in processing cases many spouses were forced to stop working. Prior to the Trump...
Jan182023
An H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows a foreign national to come to the U.S. and work on a temporary basis. Once approved for an H-1B the worker must work in accordance with the original terms and conditions as per the originally filed petition. If there is a material change to the original terms...
On January 4, 2023, USCIS posted a notice of proposed rulemaking to adjust filing fees. Certain fees, particularly cases filed using form I-129 (H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, etc.) could potentially see significant hikes as well as EB-5. Here of a brief overview of some of the notable proposed fee increases: Immigration benefit Current fee Proposed fee...
USCIS has released a new version of Form I-485, which must be used from December 23, 2022. This form can be found at: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-485.pdf This form is intended for preview only and should not be submitted prior to December 23, 2022. This form becomes mandatory on the aforementioned date which means that the current version...