As we are going in to the peak of the H-1B cap season, our office receives many inquiries about the duration of the H-1B filing season this year or, in other words, when will the H-1B cap be reached? So far we have been able to compare demand with prior H-1B filing seasons and we [...]
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 [...]
On March 8, 2013, USCIS released a new Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9. Employers should begin using the new Form I-9 with revision date 03/08/13 immediately for all new hires. However, in order to allow companies to incorporate the new Form into their HR practices, USCIS provided employers with a 60-day grace period. USCIS has [...]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service ("USCIS") is set to begin accepting H-1B visa applications pursuant to its Fiscal Year 2014 (FY2014) quota. The first day on which USCIS will accept new, cap-subject H-1B petitions, is Monday, April 1, 2013. About the H-1B Program and the Annual Cap The H-1B visa category was created in [...]
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service ("USCIS") has issued new guidance to employers regarding the employment verification and documentation process for employees with valid and pending Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (“DACA”) applications. According to recent USCIS figures, there have been approximately 420,000 DACA applications filed and as approvals are starting to be sent out, [...]
The start of the new year is a perfect time to assess corporate compliance with U.S. immigration laws. As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and the Department of Labor (“DOL”) increase their number of company audits and fines each year, it is important for employers to perform annual audits of their employment law and immigration [...]
We have been monitoring developments around the H.R. 3012 legislation aimed at removing the per-country annual limits for the immigrant visa categories. We have written extensively in the past and many of our clients and readers are very interested in any developments with H.R. 3012 because of its wide (and significant) impact on employment-based immigrant [...]
Our office closely monitors developments here in Washington, DC on the proposal to lift the per-country limitations on immigrant visas (green cards). Throughout the past couple of weeks, there have been significant developments on this proposal and we wanted to update our clients and readers. H.R. 3012 Background H.R. 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants [...]
The H-1B season is well underway and we have received the sixth update on the FY2013 cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 2 for both the Vermont and California Service Centers. As of May 11, 2012, USCIS has received approximately 36,700 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap. This suggests a rate of filings of approximately [...]
One of the most popular U.S. work visas, the H-1B, will start accepting filings for new H-1B employment on April 2. Pursuant to each yearly H-1B quota, new H-1B filings can be filed on April 1 (April 2nd this year because April 1st is a Sunday), at the earliest, for a starting date of employment [...]