NEWS
USCIS May Reopen H-1B Petitions Denied Under Three Rescinded Policy Memos
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions on Form I-129, Petition for a Non immigrant Worker, made based on three rescinded policy memos. USCIS will generally use its discretion to accept a motion [...]
April 2021 Visa Bulletin
April 2021 Visa Bulletin is now available.
Why We Need to Recognize Black History Every Month
By Yasmin Blackburn, Esq. As a first-generation immigrant from Panama, Black History Month was hard to understand. Why was it relegated to the shortest and coldest month of the year? For instance, at home, we “celebrated” black history all [...]
Time to Lift the Ban – Scapegoating Professional Visas Hurts the Economy and Stifles Innovation
Be it a Republican administration, or one led by Democrats, a common theme appears to be the raw deal handed to non immigrant professionals. While the Biden administration halted midnight regulations including scrapping a wage-based lottery for the H-1B CAP, [...]
7 Things to Know About the H-1B CAP
The registration process for the H-1B FY2022 lottery begins shortly and we have some tips and general guidelines for those looking to file this year. Our office is happy to assist you with these filings at no charge (except the [...]
March 2021 Visa Bulletin
March 2021 Visa Bulletin is now available.
FY 2022 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 9
USCIS today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 9 and run through noon Eastern on March 25. During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to fill out petitioner and beneficiary information and submit their registrations. A confirmation number will be assigned to each registration submitted for the FY 2022 H-1B cap. This [...]
February 2021 Visa Bulletin
February 2021 Visa Bulletin is now available. Unless otherwise indicated on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website at www.uscis.gov/visabulletininfo, individuals seeking to file applications for adjustment of status with USCIS in the Department of Homeland Security must use the “Final [...]
Memorandum Issued to Halt USCIS/DOL Action affecting H-1B Visa Process
The Biden Administration through White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, issued a memorandum on January 20th that specifically instructs Agencies that a “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” is effective as of noon on January 20, 2021 in order to [...]
DOL Final Rule on Computation of Prevailing Wage Levels
The DOL published a final rule adopting, with changes, the interim final rule published at 85 FR 63872. The Rule is amending the regulations governing permanent labor certifications and Labor Condition Applications to incorporate changes to the computation of prevailing [...]
USCIS to Replace Sticker That Extends Validity of Green Cards
USCIS announced that starting in January 2021, it will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card (PRC or “Green Card”) with a revised Form [...]
DHS Publishes Final Rule Creating Wage-Based Selection System for Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions
On January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule which will replace the current random selection process by which USCIS selects H-1B registrations for filing of H-1B cap-subject petitions with a wage-based selection process. The [...]
USCIS lockbox updates
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, USCIS is experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for some applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, an increase in filings, current postal service volume [...]
USCIS Modifies H-1B Selection Process to Prioritize Wages
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a final rule that will modify the H-1B cap selection process, amend current lottery procedures, and prioritize wages to protect the economic interests of U.S. workers and better ensure the most highly skilled [...]
January 2021 Visa Bulletin
January 2021 Visa Bulletin is now available.
OFLC Announces Updates to Implementation of the Wage Protections Interim Final Rule in Compliance with District Court Order
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order in Chamber of Commerce, et al. v. DHS, et al., No. 20-cv-7331, finding that the U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) failed to [...]
** BREAKING NEWS: ** District Court Sets Aside DHS Specialty Occupation and DOL H-1B Wage Rules
CA District Court Sets Aside DHS Specialty Occupation and DOL H-1B Wage Rules Yesterday, December 1, 2020, the District Court for the Northern District of California, set aside the IFRs issued by the Department of Labor and the DHS-USCIS [...]
December 2020 Visa Bulletin
December 2020 Visa Bulletin is now available.
Premium Processing Fee Increase Effective Oct. 19, 2020
USCIS today announced it will increase fees for premium processing, effective Oct. 19, as required by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act, Pub. L. No. 116-159, signed into law on Oct. 1. The USCIS premium processing service [...]
DOL and USCIS issue interim Final Rules
I. DOL Interim Final Rule on Computation of Prevailing Wage Levels The Department of Labor is issuing rules amending the regulations governing permanent labor certifications and Labor Condition Applications to incorporate changes to the computation of prevailing wage levels. [...]