USCIS Changes H-1B Cap Registration Lottery Selection Process to Be Beneficiary-Centric
In a new final rule USCIS is changing the process it selects H-1B cap registrants during the annual “cap” lottery selection process. Starting with this year, the new process will be based on “beneficiary-centric” selection which means that each H-1B cap beneficiary will be counted and have only one lottery registration entry regardless of how many independent H-1B cap [...]
USCIS Increases Filing Fees Starting April 1, 2024
The Department of Homeland Security has just released the final rule that significantly changes the USCIS fee schedule, including adding new fees, establishing multiple fees for nonimmigrant worker petitions and increasing the premium processing time limit. The rule and the new fees will become effective on April 1, 2024. The highlights of the final rule are: significant filing fee increase [...]
How to File an H-1B Cap Petition When the Current Degree is Still Underway?
As the H-1B cap filing season is well underway and as the first filing day of March 1st is approaching fast, a common question by H-1B employers or H-1B candidates is whether an H-1B cap petition can (or should) be filed when the foreign national employee is still completing their degree program. This is very common for foreign students who [...]
February 2024 Visa Bulletin – No Notable Employment-based Category Movement
The U.S. State Department has released the February 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the fifth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of notable movement among most employment-based categories with continued outlook for very slow (if any) forward movement in the coming months. […]
What To Do If My I-485 Green Card is Approved (in Error) When My Priority Date is Not Current?
One of the happiest moments for an I-485 Adjustment of Status applicant is the day their employment-based I-485 is approved and their green card is ordered for production in mailing. However, sometimes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) approve I-485 applications in error, most commonly when the priority date is not current, and this creates major issues for the [...]
USCIS Increases I-907 Premium Processing Filing Fee Starting February 26, 2024
The Department of Homeland Security has announced an inflation-based increase of the I-907 premium processing filing fee starting February 26, 2024. The most common $2,500 premium processing filing fee goes up to $2,805 with an average increase of approximately 12%. […]