About EB-5 and the Regional Center Program In 1990, the U.S. Congress created the fifth employment-based preference category (EB-5) for qualified foreign entrepreneurs seeking to invest in a business that will benefit the U.S. economy and create or save at least 10 full-time jobs. The basic amount required to invest is $1 million, although that [...]
In a December 14, 2009, meeting, USCIS has provided some helpful information about the current state of the EB-5 program. I-526 Premium Processing Possible Later in the Year A review of the question of reinstating premium processing for I-526 petitions will be done during the second quarter of 2010. USCIS will reinstate premium processing if [...]
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) has provided an update on the current PERM processing dates as of December 31, 2009. They are as follows: Regular processing: March 2009. DOL is processing PERM applications with priority dates in March of 2009. This suggests that there is certain forward movement for regular PERM processing. Accordingly, regular PERM [...]
The February 2010 Visa Bulletin was just released by the State Department. The fifth visa bulletin for the fiscal year 2010 and the second for the calendar 2010 does not bring much movement. There is no movement for India across all employment-based categories. For many other categories, the only forward movement is in the 1-2 [...]
Almost four months after USCIS launched its redesigned website, the USCIS Ombudsman office is setting up a conference call to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of USCIS' website, in general, and of the redesign, in particular. Our office will sit on this conference call to share our thoughts and comments with the [...]
Now that the H-1B quota has been reached (as of December 21, 2009), we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries by both cap-subject employers and prospective employees about the alternatives for work authorization between now and October 1, 2010, when the new fiscal year's H-1B quota would begin (as a reminder, April 1, 2010 [...]
Our firm handles a fair amount of appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) and we often receive inquiries not only about about the procedural aspects of an AAO appeal but also about the current processing times for AAO cases. About the AAO The AAO is an appeals office which handles appeals of certain decisions [...]
The Department of Labor ("DOL") has provided an update on the current PERM processing dates as of November 31, 2009. They are as follows: Regular processing: February 2009. DOL is processing PERM applications with priority dates in February 2009. This suggests that there is certain forward movement for regular PERM processing. Accordingly, regular PERM processing [...]
Thank you for your support throughout 2009. We owe our success to you, our clients, readers and friends and we wish to express our gratitude and continued support. We are looking forward to working with you during the new year and we wish you a prosperous, happy and joyous New Year 2010.
Our office receives a fair number of Section 221(g) inquiries from visa applicants at a U.S. Consulate abroad. This article aims to explain Section 221(g) and to provide some tips for dealing with a 221(g) visa refusal. About Section 221(g) Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for temporary refusal of visa when an [...]