What to do if your school is no longer SEVP certified If you attend an SEVP certified school that has been automatically withdrawn from SEVIS certification as a result of SEVP’s ongoing recertification process please: Don’t panic! Contact your designated school official about options Finish the current semester term at your school If your designated [...]
17 Egyptian students learned the hard way that U.S. Immigration laws are not to be trifled with. Having arrived here in July to study U.S. History and Culture with some English language training at the Unversity of Montana, 11 of them decided to visit family and friends before going to the University instead. What followed [...]
DHS announced a new initiative to streamline the international student visa process for foreign students seeking to study in the United States. The Study in the States initiative is a key component of a government-wide effort to encourage the best and brightest foreign students to study and remain in the U.S. For more information, visit [...]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the launch of an enhanced Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and a redesigned Form N-560, Certificate of Citizenship, with new features to enhance security and deter fraud. As part ongoing efforts by USCIS to enhance the integrity of the immigration system, the state-of-the-art technology incorporated into the new documents [...]
USCIS is publishing a proposed rule that could save U.S. businesses more than $23 million over the next 10 years by establishing an advance registration process for U.S. employers seeking to file H-1B petitions for foreign workers in specialty occupations. The proposed electronic system would minimize administrative burdens and expenses related to the H-1B petition [...]
This rule proposes to require employers seeking to petition for H-1B workers subject to the cap to first file electronic registrations with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) during a designated registration period. Under this proposed rule, if USCIS anticipates that the H-1B cap will not be reached by the first day that H-1B petitions [...]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced that it is now issuing employment and travel authorization on a single card for certain applicants filing an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, Form I-485. This new card represents a significant improvement from the current practice of issuing paper Advance Parole documents. The card [...]
The AAO reversed the L-1 petition denial and found the petitioner only needed to document that the transfer of ownership interest between the foreign entity and existing owner occurred, noting that USCIS's focus on the purchase price was misplaced. [Courtesy- AILA] AAO L1 reversal
On Aug. 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law Public Law 111-230, which contains provisions to increase certain H-1B and L-1 petition fees. Effective immediately, Public Law 111-230 requires the submission of an additional fee of $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $2,250 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions postmarked on or after Aug. 14, [...]
In a well reasoned Memo, the American Immigration Lawyers Association has requested the USCIS rescind the Neufeld Memo dated January 8th . Of particular interest is the portion about IT Consulting companies. The Neufeld Memo refers to this segment of H-1B users pejoratively as "Job Shops". In fact, there is a legitimate need for such [...]