In a recent trend, USCIS has been denying Form I-131 advance parole applications for abandonment in instances where the applicant has traveled abroad during the pendency of the application. The pending Form I-131 application is being denied even if the applicant has a separate valid...
USCIS is scrutinizing wage levels of H-1B specialized worker visa petitions, issuing numerous Requests for Evidence (“RFEs”) for jobs offering entry-level (Level 1) wages. The Level 1 wage represents an entry level work position. The Department of Labor’s guidance provides that such entry-level jobs involve “routine...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an online webinar to take place on Thursday, August 24, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to discuss Form I-924A, Annual Certification of Regional Center. This webinar will specifically discuss certain changes to the...
The USCIS Premium Processing program offers the option of accelerated visa processing for certain employment-based immigrant visa petitions (i.e., “green cards”) as well as certain temporary work visas. For employers in a hurry, that are willing to pay an additional processing fee of $1,225, the...
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released data showing a downward trend in H-1B visa approvals filed from October 1, 2016 until June 30, 2017. In that time period, U.S. employers filed 336,107 new H-1B visa petitions and, as of June 30, 2017, had...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can search information contained in digital devices, but these searches only apply to “information that is physically resident on the device during a CBP inspection”. According to a 06/20/2017 statement by a senior CBP administrator, they do not...
On August 3, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") formally notified the public that it intends to change Form ETA 9035. Form ETA 9035 is the Labor Condition Application that U.S. employers must file before seeking a temporary work visa for a professional worker...
On Wednesday, August 2, 2017, the President and Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) presented their proposal for reforming the U.S. immigration system. The bill, known as the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (“RAISE Act”), seeks to create a points...
Senior representatives of the Trump Administration have recently expressed support for new immigration measures that would reduce the number of lawful immigrants to the United States. As reported by Politico and The Washington Post, the Trump Administration are discussing a bill with Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)...
Persons applying for U.S. visitor visas or work visas may have to undergo further screening by government agencies, focused on their social media history. In this article, we report on steps taken by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) during 2016...
