The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) will be eliminated effective April 28, 2011. See the Federal Register notice and WSJ article. About NSEERS The National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, NSEERS, required individuals from more than 20 predominantly Arab countries to register with the government on [...]
The H-1B season is well underway and USCIS just released the first “official” FY2012 update on the number of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1 for both the Vermont and California Service Centers. As of April 8, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 5,900 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap. This count means that as [...]
The U.S. State Department just released the May 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the FY2011 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the forward movement in EB-2 India (after eight months of no movement) and the continued (but slow) slow forward movement in FB2A (after few [...]
It may seem like an April Fools Day joke at first sight, but apparently it is not. The Texas Service Center has been issuing and emailing premium processing receipt and approval notices for I-140 cases filed as far back as April 2010. Example of I-140 Email Notice The emails (delivered on April 1, 2011) look [...]
A recent update from USCIS and Charles Oppenheim at the Department of State (the person who is responsible for the Visa Bulletin and visa number allocations) should provide some hope to applicants in some categories, but most notably to the EB-2 India category. Low EB-1 Demand to Cause Visa Number Spillover to EB-2 USCIS has [...]
One of the most popular U.S. work visas, the H-1B, will start accepting filings for new H-1B employment on April 1, in exactly one week. Pursuant to each yearly H-1B quota, new H-1B filings can be filed on April 1, at the earliest, for a starting date of employment on or after October 1. The [...]
As of yesterday, March 21, 2011, the E-Verify Self Check system has been launched and made available to users who maintain an address and are physically located in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia or the District of Columbia. About E-Verify Self Check E-Verify Self Check is the first online E-Verify program offered directly to workers [...]
After the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, our office is receiving a number of inquiries by Japanese nationals regarding relief options and alternatives in various U.S. immigration situations. USCIS has also indicated that they would provide relief in a number of situations understanding that a disaster may affect the ability of an individual to [...]
The Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) is a centralized processing facility for petition-based nonimmigrant visa programs and for the Diversity Visa program (also known as "green card lottery"). Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, KCC serves a variety of important functions affecting many visa applicants and foreign nationals who are selected under the Diversity Visa lotttery. There are [...]
The U.S. State Department just released the April 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the seventh Visa Bulletin for the FY2011 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the slow forward movement in FB2A (after few significant backward movements), the significant retrogression in the FB1 preference visa numbers, accompanied by the continued [...]