USCIS has just released the December 18, 2024 final rule “Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers” which seeks to “modernize” the H-1B program [...]
USCIS has announced that they have reached the H-1B cap limit for fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025). This means that they will not be conducting additional lottery rounds of selection after the initial two rounds. This also means [...]
The Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1A) visa category serves as a crucial pathway for individuals who possess extraordinary abilities in their respective fields, whether in the arts, sciences, business, or athletics. Designed to attract top talent from around the globe, the EB-1A visa allows these individuals to immigrate to the United States without the need for [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the August 2020 Visa Bulletin which is the eleventh Visa Bulletin for the FY2020 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the continuing significant forward [...]
Our office has obtained an updated set of expected cutoff date movements over the next several months as we begin the new fiscal year. Mr. Charles Oppenheim who is the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting [...]
The U.S. State Department has just released the June 2017 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the FY2017 fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is introduction of a cutoff date for EB-1 [...]
It is only Tuesday and this week has already been full of immigration proposals. After yesterday's announcement for a blueprint for a comprehensive immigration reform, today a group of Senators has released an actual draft bill which picks up where yesterday's proposal left off with respect to employment-based immigration. Senators Orrin Hatch of Utah, Amy [...]
A few days ago, on December 29, 2011, the USCIS Ombudsman has issued a report and set of recommendations urging USCIS to take proactive steps to ensure clear, consistent and predictable standards are applied to immigrant visa applications under the first employment-based preference category (EB-1) for aliens with extraordinary ability (EA). Background on the Current [...]
USCIS has provided some interesting statistics relating to the processing of Form I-140 petitions for classification of foreign nationals under the employment-based first (EB-1) category. The statistics reflect the number of receipts, approvals, denials and RFEs issued during a fiscal year and are helpful in understanding general EB-1 adjudication trends. The EB-1 Statistics Texas Service [...]
USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas just announced a number of initiatives intended to boost the ability of immigrant entrepreneurs to obtain immigrant benefits for themselves, as part of the Obama administration's goal to boost hiring and jobs. Director Mayorkas has announced a number of initiatives and "clarifications" of existing temporary and permanent work visas which should [...]
