Most of our clients and readers remember the summer of 2007 when USCIS raised the filing fees for certain services by a substantial amount (in all fairness, USCIS decreased the fees for certain services) (see the archived May 29, 2007 USCIS press release). One of the motivating forces behind this fee increase was the collection [...]
The October 2009 Visa Bulletin which is the first visa bulletin for the new FY2010 fiscal year was released earlier today by the State Department. This October 2009 Visa Bulletin has been widely expected not only to see the EB-3 category go back to some availability of visas but also to use the movement in [...]
As part of our regular USCIS-related filings, we receive requests for evidence (”RFES”) on a number of occasions. Such RFES are standard practice and often are unrelated to the substance of the petition - for example, requesting clear copies of the lastest Form I-94 card. It is our practice to ensure that each petition filed [...]
The final version of the stimulus bill, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1, S. 1), was passed by the Congress late on Friday. The final version of ARRA included Senator Sanders’ amendment and the final version which is expected to be signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, February 17th, will restrict [...]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will designate Malta as a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country on Dec. 30, 2008*. Maltese nationals will be able to travel visa-free to the United States effective Dec. 30th. The VWP will enable citizens of Malta to travel to the United States, beginning on Dec. 30, 2009, for 90 [...]
We have spoken to clients and written about the slim chances of having an immigration reform early into the upcoming Obama administration. The Wall Street Journal has an article which analyzes the consequences of the changes in Congressional seats as a result of the recent election and how it may affect the immigration reform. Some of [...]
About the EB-5 Visa and Regional Centers Under section 203(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(5), 10,000 immigrant visas per year are available to qualified individuals seeking permanent resident status on the basis of their engagement in a new commercial enterprise (generally of at least $1 million). Of the 10,000 investor [...]
We at the Capitol Immigration Law Group have been following closely the Democratic and the Republican National Conventions, respectively last week and this week, and we were surprised to see that there was virtually zero attention paid to immigration in the speeches and debates on and off the convention floor. The Republican party was more likely [...]
We wrote in June about the lawsuit challenging the 17-month OPT extension for STEM students. The lawsuit was brought by the Immigration Reform Law Institute, joined by the Programmers Guild and other organizations. The lawsuit challenged the administration’s decision to extend the work period for students under the OPT program and argued that the OPT [...]
The E-Verify program, as we know it and have used to love it or hate it now, is set to expire on November 1st. E-Verify and its requirements to verify the employment eligibility for all new hires is the cornerstone of many states' immigration enforcement laws. For example, South Carolina and Arizona require all or a large portion of the companies who employ workers to use E-Verify. With the Senate in recess from August 1 until September 7, and target adjournment date of September 26, there are not many days left for Congress to consider the many issues that surround E-Verify. Many senators wish to condition or structure E-Verify's reauthorization with some other immigration measures. Some of the proposed bills are likely to spur a fair amount of opposition and their passage, as proposed, is not guaranteed. Until then, E-Verify is still operational, but the limited calendar and the desire of the U.S. congressmen to push alternative immigration measures alongside E-Verify may mean that its renewal will be down to the wire. The E-Verify program, as we know it and have used to love it or hate it now, is set to expire on November 1st. E-Verify and its requirements to verify the employment eligibility for all new hires is the cornerstone of many states' immigration enforcement laws. For example, South Carolina and Arizona require all or a large portion of the companies who employ workers to use E-Verify. With the Senate in recess from August 1 until September 7, and target adjournment date of September 26, there are not many days left for Congress to consider the many issues that surround E-Verify. Many senators wish to condition or structure E-Verify's reauthorization with some other immigration measures. Some of the proposed bills are likely to spur a fair amount of opposition and their passage, as proposed, is not guaranteed. Until then, E-Verify is still operational, but the limited calendar and the desire of the U.S. congressmen to push alternative immigration measures alongside E-Verify may mean that its renewal will be down to the wire. We at the Capitol Immigration Law Group will continue monitoring the situation on behalf of our clients and report as we get updates. To receive timely updates please visit this site regularly, subscribe to its RSS feed, or subscribe to our email newsletter.