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...
USCIS announced today that is is again making available 15-calendar day Premium Processing for H-1B visa petitions filed by higher education institutions, non-profit entities affiliated with institutions of higher education and other and other cap-exempt entities. USCIS indicates that it will resume Premium Processing for non-cap...
On 7/20/17, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Dream Act of 2017 (S. 1615). The proposed bill seeks to provide legal status to young people who were brought to the United States as children and grew up this country. Such children...
