USCIS Reaches FY 2019 H-1B Cap

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has reached the congressionally mandated maximum number of new H-1B visa petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2019. This is referred to as the “cap” on H-1B visas. The H-1B cap was reached in 5 days, between April 2 and April 6, 2018. The USCIS has […]

Congress Extends EB-5 Program Until Sept. 2018, as Agency Action Looms

Washington, D.C. – March 28, 2018: Last week, the House of Representatives and the Senate each passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, a $1.3 trillion spending bill that funds the government through September 30, 2018. President Trump then signed the bill into law to ensure the continuity of government operations. As part of the […]

USCIS Issues Policy Memorandum Designating Matter of S-P-, Inc. as an Adopted Decision

Washington, D.C., March 22, 2018 – On 03/19/2018, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS) issued a policy memorandum designating Matter of S-P-, Inc., as an adopted Administrative Appeals Office (“AAO”) decision. The AAO held that a beneficiary who worked abroad for a qualifying multinational organization for at least one year, entered the U.S. to […]

O-1/EB-1A Support Letters and Current RFE Trends

Washington, D.C., March 7, 2018 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association recently held a webinar to discuss the O-1 and EB-1A visa processes for individuals in the science and business fields. Some of the topics discussed were the importance of support letters and current USCIS RFE trends. Support Letters are an absolute necessity for a […]

USCIS to Suspend Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap Petitions

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that premium processing requests will not be accepted for cases filed pursuant to the fiscal year 2019 (FY19) H-1B Cap, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher. Any request for premium processing (form I-907) filed with a cap-subject H-1B […]

Proposed EB-5 Bill: EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa and Regional Center Comprehensive Reform Act (“EB-5 CRA”)

March 9, 2018 Washington, D.C. – March 9, 2018: Yesterday, Congress released a working draft of a new bill to reform the EB-5 visa program. The bill proposes several important changes to current law and also allows for new processes intended to help streamline the application process. The proposed legislation raises the minimum investment amount […]

USCIS Moves to Limit H-1B Third Party Placements

Washington, D.C. – February 27, 2018: U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced late last week that that it was imposing stricter requirements for companies that rely on H-1B workers. H-1B visas are the main skilled worker visa for professionals and specialized knowledge workers to the U.S. At present, an H-1B employer can, under certain […]

Washington Update: EB-5 News from Capitol Hill

Washington D.C., February 8, 2018: On-going negotiations on Capitol Hill to extend the federal budget and reform various immigration programs appear to be reaching for a consensus on a two-year budget agreement for increased spending on national defense, increased spending on disaster relief for devastated areas of Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, and extending a […]

Can U.S. Citizens Still Seek Green Cards for Parents?

Washington D.C., February 6, 2018: Political negotiations regarding the future of various immigration programs to the U.S. have expanded to include certain family-based immigrant programs. Such news reports have caused many of our clients ask our law firm whether it is still possible for an adult U.S. Citizen to file an immigrant visa petition for […]

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Extending EB-5 Program

Washington D.C., January 23, 2018 – Yesterday, the House of Representatives and the Senate each passed a Continuing Resolution extending the operation of the U.S. Federal Government until February 8, 2018. The Continuing Resolution was then signed into law by the President to ensure the continuity of government operations. As part of the Continuing Resolution, […]