USCIS today announced a final rule that will require a $10 non-refundable fee for each H-1B registration submitted by petitioning employers, once it implements the electronic registration system. The final rule, Registration Fee Requirement for Petitioners Seeking to File H-1B Petitions on Behalf of Cap-Subject Aliens, is effective Dec. 9, 2019, and the fee will [...]
DOL OFLC posted H-1B program statistics as of 9/30/19.
USCIS announced beginning on Nov. 29, it is adjusting the fee to request premium processing for certain employment-based petitions. The premium processing fee will increase to $1,440 from the current fee of $1,410 for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker.
USCIS announced that on January 2, 2020, it will dispose E-Verify records that are older than 10 years, or dated on or before December 31, 2009. E-Verify employers have until December 31, 2019, to download case information from the Historic Records Report. For more information, please see the I-9 central page.
USCIS 30-day extension of a comment period originally announced at 84 FR 30757 on proposed revisions to the electronic H-1B registration tool. Comments are now due 11/8/19. (84 FR 54159, 10/9/19).
USCIS data on receipts, completions, and RFEs from FY2015 to FY2019 (through 9/30/19) for various employment-based non-immigrant visa categories, including H-1B.
On September 27, 2019, Immigration and Customs Enforcement updated and provided policy guidance on how to determine whether a student’s practical training is in an area “directly related” to the student’s major area of study. This is in keeping with the regulations at 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(A) and is applicable to both CPT and OPT employment. [...]
In a new development, DHS/Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) has commenced site visits to employer locations that train STEM OPT students. This program began about 12 days ago, and clients have started reporting site visits to verify STEM OPT related information. Advance Notice to Employers: According to the Study in the States website maintained by DHS, [...]
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 [...]
USCIS advises, until further notice, employers should continue using the Form I-9 currently available on I-9 Central, even after the expiration date of August 31 has passed. USCIS will provide updated information about the new version of the form as it becomes available.