Many of our readers know that the H-1B visa is a critical and very common work visa used routinely by U.S. employers to hire skilled foreign nationals. The H-1B visa has an annual cap for first-time visas set at 85,000 per year and it [...]
One of the most popular U.S. work visas, the H-1B, will start accepting filings for new H-1B employment on April 1. 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 H-1B Quota and [...]
USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of August 27, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 34,900 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,000 over the past week). Similarly, as of August 27, there were 13,000 H-1B visas filed subject to the [...]
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 [...]
USCIS released updated information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of Friday, September 18, USCIS has received approximately 46,000 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, [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
USCIS released updated information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of Friday, July 24, USCIS has received approximately 44,900 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, [...]
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 [...]
A very common question by the holders of visas which have employment restrictions is, “Can I engage in unpaid volunteer work under my visa?” The answer is that it depends on the type of unpaid volunteer work you are seeking to perform.
