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 Department of State (DOS) issued an advance copy of the interim final rule on the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services, Department of State and Overseas Embassies and Consulates. The notice was published today at the Federal Register. According to the notice, the new rule will become effective on June 4, 2010 (15 days [...]
Two weeks ago we wrote about the USCIS Ombudsman recommendation to modify the LCA/H-1B filing process to avoid negative consequences associated with delayed LCAs. As a response, USCIS just announced a temporary change in policy pursuant to which it will temporarily accept H-1B petitions filed without Labor Conditions Applications (LCA) that have been certified by the [...]
The Department of Labor (”DOL”) has released a quarterly report covering the second quarter of 2009 (ending on June 31, 2009) which report indicates the performance measurements for four categories of labor certifications performed by DOL: H-1B Labor Condition Applications (”LCA”). The target performance rate set by DOL is seven (business) days. For the second quarter, [...]
We wrote in September about the gap in expected revenue by USCIS following the filing fee increase of Summer 2007. We noted that the agency has a $282 million shortfall in expected revenues. As a result of the announced 2007 fee increase, USCIS saw a surge in applications and hiring in 2007, ahead of a hefty [...]
Our firm handles a fair amount of appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) and we often receive inquiries not only about about the procedural aspects of an AAO appeal but also about the current processing times for AAO cases. About the AAO The AAO is an appeals office which handles appeals of certain decisions made by [...]
USCIS has released a schedule of the inventory of pending Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status. The statistics are fairly recent - as of August 25, 2009 - and are very helpful to understanding the relative queue positions for adjustment of status applicants. How Can I Determine My Place in the AOS Queue? An AOS application’s preference [...]
The Department of Labor has provided an update on the current PERM processing dates as of July 31, 2009. They are as follows: Regular processing: November 2008. Unfortunately, there is no movement in comparison to the April 30, 2009 report which also reported November 2008, resulting a net additional delay of three (3) months for regular [...]
The increasing unemployment rate inevitably affects foreign nationals living and working in the U.S. on a work visa. We have been happy to help many clients over the past months who have either been laid off or have decided to seek a better opportunity to attend school by changing their status to F, J or [...]
USCIS released updated information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of Friday, August 14, USCIS has received approximately 45,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap. USCIS will continue to accept petitions subject to the general cap. Additionally, USCIS has received approximately 20,000 petitions for aliens with advanced degrees; however, [...]