Headlines: 1. Labor Cert News: Atlanta NPC No Longer Forwarding to BALCA All PERM Requests for Reconsideration; Statistical Updates for FY 2014 Q4; H-1B Legacy Docs No Longer Available – The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) recently announced news on several topics. 2. U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit Reverses District […]
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Releases Instructions on Applying for DV-2016 Program – Entries for the DV-2016 DV program must be submitted electronically by noon EST (GMT-5), Monday, November 3, 2014. 2. USCIS Announces New Secure Blue Ink for Many Stamps – USCIS said employers should be aware of this recent change in secure ink color when examining […]
Headlines: 1. DOS Announces Major Developments in Availability of China EB-5 Visa Numbers – Effective immediately, the EB-5 category is “unavailable” for investors born in China. Visa numbers will become available again when the new federal fiscal year starts on October 1, 2014. 2. DOS Changes Fees for Visa and Citizenship Services – DOS is amending […]
Headlines 1. Consular Visa/Passport System Crashes – The Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database, used to print and approve visas and passports, has been having significant problems, including outages. Backlogs have ensued. 2. August Visa Bulletin Shows Advances in China and ‘Other Workers’ EB-3 Preference Categories, India EB-2 Preference – Cut-off dates for the China-mainland born employment […]
Headlines: 1. White House Announces Response to Increase in Unaccompanied Children, Families -On June 20, 2014, President Obama announced that he will take administrative action to correct parts of our broken immigration system. In the meantime the President directed the start of a government-wide response to an increase in unaccompanied children entering the United States […]
Headlines: 1. OCAHO Launches E-Filing Pilot, Rules That E-Verify Participation Does Not Provide Blanket Protection – OCAHO has launched a voluntary pilot program to test an electronic filing system in certain cases. Also, an employer argued that participation in E-Verify entitled it to a presumption that it had not violated the law, but OCAHO ruled that […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Holds Stakeholder Call on L-1A Site Visits – The L-1 inspection program is being phased in and may be extended to initial petitions and/or L-1Bs in the future. 2. USCIS H-1B Premium Processing Has Begun for FY 2015 Petitions – On April 28, 2014, USCIS began premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the […]
Headlines 1. File H-1B Petitions for FY 2015 Now! – USCIS anticipates receiving more than enough petitions to reach both caps by April 7. 2. USCIS, Healthcare.gov Provide Highlights of Immigration Status Effects on ACA Eligibility – Immigration status can affect eligibility for health care benefits under the Affordable Care Act. 3. USCIS Holds Teleconference With EB-5 […]
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Announces J-1 On-Site Inspections – DOS plans to conduct on-site inspections of J-1 internships and training programs. 2. State Dept. Predicts Visa Availability in the Coming Months; Visa Bulletin Moved – The Department of State’s Visa Office has estimated visa availability in the coming months. Also, DOS has reorganized its website, moving […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Expands Site Visits To Review of L-1 Petitions – The agency is reviewing extensions of L-1 petitions and L-1 job duties and salaries to determine whether they are consistent with the L-1’s classification. 2. H-1B Alert: Filing Starts April 1 for Next Fiscal Year – This past fiscal year, H-1B numbers were exhausted within […]
