October 2019 Visa Bulletin
October 2019 Visa Bulletin is now available.
OFLC Announces Schedule for Electronic Filing of LCAs in the FLAG System
Beginning September 16, 2019, the FLAG System's LCA Program Module will be enabled and stakeholders will be able to begin preparing H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 applications using the Form ETA-9035E. However, the FLAG System will not permit the submission of LCA applications until 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 1, 2019. OFLC will continue to [...]
September 2019 Visa Bulletin
September 2019 Visa Bulletin is now available.
USCIS Announces Final Rule Enforcing Long-Standing Public Charge Inadmissibility Law
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that clearly defines long-standing law to better ensure that aliens seeking to enter and remain in the United States — either temporarily or permanently — are self-sufficient and rely on their own capabilities and the resources of family members, sponsors, and private organizations rather [...]
USCIS will publish a final rule on July 24 bringing significant changes EB-5 Program
USCIS will publish a final rule on July 24 that makes a number of significant changes to its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, marking the first significant revision of the program’s regulations since 1993. The final rule will become effective on Nov. 21, 2019. New developments under the final rule include: Raising the minimum investment [...]
USCIS discontinues courtesy premium processing for concurrently filed H4/L2 applicants
We have been informed that due to the new biometrics requirement for all I‑539 applicants, USCIS has discontinued its prior practice of providing premium processing as a courtesy for I‑539s filed concurrently with an I‑129 petition. We believe this could cause significant delays and impact H-4 and L-2 EAD extensions.
August 2019 Visa Bulletin
August 2019 Visa Bulletin is now available.
House Passes Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act H.R. 1044
On 7/10/19, the House passed H.R. 1044 by a vote of 365 to 65. If enacted, the bill would eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and increase the per-country numerical limitation for family-sponsored immigrants from 7 percent to 15 percent. Read the pdf of the H.R. 1044 bill.
USCIS Expands FIRST: A Fully Digital FOIA System
USCIS is announcing the expansion of its digital Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Immigration Records System (FIRST). FIRST is the only system in the U.S. government that allows users to submit and track FOIA requests and receive documents digitally. This process will save time, improve efficiency, and reduce potential errors that can occur with manually [...]
July 2019 Visa Bulletin
July 2019 Visa Bulletin is now available.