The U.S. State Department has just released the March 2016 Visa Bulletin which is the sixth Visa Bulletin for the FY2016 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the notable [...]
On April 1, 2016 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will start accepting applications for one of the most popular U.S. work visas, H-1B, for fiscal year (FY) 2017. Our intelligence and past [...]
Many of our clients and readers are already aware of the move by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) to issue what are hundreds, or perhaps even thousands, of very similar, if not identical, requests for evidence (“RFE”) on pending [...]
As of January 21st, 2016, the U.S. began implementing changes under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 (the Act). Under the Act, travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Nationals of VWP countries [...]
In a much-anticipated decision dated January 23, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the Department of Homeland Security's request for extension to extend the vacatur of the current STEM OPT rule which was struck down on August 12, 2015. The current STEM OPT rule continues to remain valid until [...]
In a December 30, 2015 opinion, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has handed a decision (Mantena v. Johnson) which requires USCIS to provide notice of its intent to revoke an immigrant I-140 petition to certain [...]
On November 17, 2016, USCIS released the final version of this rule. On December 31, 2015 USCIS released a draft of the proposed and long-awaited rule seeking to improve certain aspects of the employment-based [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the February 2016 Visa Bulletin which is the fifth Visa Bulletin for the FY2016 fiscal year. The major headline [...]
In response to the changed H-1B petition amendment requirements following the Simeio decision, the U.S. State Department has circulated a cable to U.S. Consulates worldwide with specific guidance to consular officers on how to address H-1B visa stamping petitions where there is change of employment. While the cable does not create new policies, it specifically [...]
In a sudden and surprising move, a number of immigration-related provisions were inserted into the must-pass government funding bill, titled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016” The bill passed both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by President Obama on [...]
