Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
A technical glitch in the U.S. State Department’s global database for issuing travel documents is causing major delays for those around the world applying for a U.S. visa or passport, according to Washington Post and Associated Press reports.
It is not clear when travelers may expect the delays to be resolved. Companies with employees who…
Consider the dilemma of the newly drafted NHL hockey player from Canada. After signing his Standard Player Contract, obtaining his P visa, and loading up his gear and heading to the border with his long time girlfriend alongside to begin training camp, both are stopped at the border. The immigration officer inquires of the girlfriend…
It is H-1B season again. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officially announced today that they are accepting H-1B applications for FY2012. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers.
Cases will…
At least 12,000 additional numbers will be available for EB-2 (employment-based, second preference) immigrant visa because of a dramatic reduction in the use of EB-1 (employment-based, first preference) immigrant visa, the Chief of Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, Charlie Oppenheim, has announced. He said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “ha[s]…
USCIS has began accepting the revised version of the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Form I-129 (dated November 23, 2010). The new version of the form requires employers petitioning for H-1B, H-1B1, L-1 and O-1A nonimmigrants to make specific attestations related to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Although the economy has hit all employees hard, Reductions-in-Force (RIFs) have a disproportionate affect on H-1B employees. When an H-1B employee is terminated from employment, that employee must deal with not only the financial difficulties of a layoff, but the additional complexity of losing authorized status in the United States as of the day of…
The USCIS announced that as of November 20, 2009, approximately 56,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has approved sufficient H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees to meet the exemption of 20,000 from the fiscal year 2010 cap. Any H-1B petitions filed on behalf of an alien with an advanced degree will…
