With the immigration reform on the national agenda in Washington, the idea of an entrepreneur’s or startup visa that grants high-skilled immigrants the right to stay if they start job-generating businesses is finally gaining traction. The need for action is indisputable. High-skilled immigrants have been the lifeblood of entrepreneurial companies that have transformed entire industries [...]
There is a more recent version of this article. Please see our most recent report from Mr. Charles Oppenheim. In a recent conversation with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) of which our office is a member, Mr. Oppenheim, the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State, has [...]
The Department of Labor has provided some updates for the first quarter of the Fiscal Year 2013 (October 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012) on their processing of PERM cases and we are happy to share them with our clients and readers. DOL Processing Statistics (First Quarter, 2013 Fiscal Year) PERM According to the report, [...]
As many of our clients and readers are aware, unless Congress decides to act on a long-term federal deficit-reduction plan before March 1, the government will suffer automatic slashes under the looming "sequester" plan passed in 2011. It will cut 8 percent from U.S. military spending and 5 percent from other domestic spending budgets. The [...]
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 U.S. State Department has just released the March 2013 Visa Bulletin which is the sixth Visa Bulletin for the FY2013 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of movement (again) in EB-2 India. Many have been looking forward to this Visa Bulletin in order to gauge [...]
Our office has established a reputation as one of the leading practices for handling appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) and we often receive inquiries not only about the procedural aspects of an AAO appeal but also about the current processing times for AAO cases. The AAO processing times are published monthly, at the [...]
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 [...]
Earlier today, a group of eight U.S. Senators released a proposed framework for a comprehensive immigration reform. The document signed off by Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York, John McCain of Arizona, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Marco Rubio of Florida, Michael Bennet of [...]