We have written in the past about the Tri-Valley University and how it affected a high number of F-1 international students by engaging in alleged unlawful practices and immigration fraud. The Tri-Valley University story is worth following because it highlights, from the perspective of the foreign students and nationals, the importance of maintaining good immigration [...]
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 [...]
USCIS has just announced that petitioners will not be required to complete Part 6 of Form I-129 containing the export controls/ITAR questions until February 20, 2011. In a response to stakeholder inquiries and concerns of proper implementation, USCIS has agreed to the delay in implementation in order to give petitioners time to establish the [...]
It is not a secret that USCIS' processing times of I-765 work permit documents ("EAD") and I-131 advance parole travel documents ("AP") have increased over the past few months. Our office has experienced some of these delays and our office is increasingly approached by EAD/AP applicants who have either expiring EADs or need to travel [...]
The Congressional Research Service ("CRS") has released two recent reports which seek to analyze the extent of undocumented aliens in the U.S. and on the permanent residency ("green card") programs. In a series of articles, we will comment on the CRS reports with this article focusing on the unauthorized aliens in the U.S.. Both reports [...]
Our office has fielded numerous calls from a number of foreign nationals who are in the U.S. temporarily and whose departure plans have been disrupted by the infamous Icelandic volcano ash. For many in the U.S. whose departure travel arrangements were closely related to their I-94 expiration date, the disruption and delay in departure travel [...]
As many of our clients and readers know, the H-1B program allows stay in the U.S. on H or L status of up to six years. Time spent abroad during this period may be "recaptured" and added towards the six years of H-1B time. However, many foreign nationals who are not eligible to extend their [...]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is set to begin accepting H-1B visa applications pursuant to its Fiscal Year 2011 (FY2011) quota. The first day on which USCIS will accept new, cap-subject H-1B petitions, is April 1, 2010. About the H-1B Program and the Annual Cap The H-1B visa category was created in 1990 [...]
The NPR ran a story yesterday, March 5th, on the EB-5 investor visa program. While the story is intended for a general audience and is fairly general in nature, it is interesting to read (or listen to the podcast) a mainstream media story about this growing in importance and profile program. One of the points [...]