If you are inquiring about the status of your Adjustment of Status case(s) filed in November, please note that given the mass number of case filings, we anticipate that we will not receive the Receipt Notices for at least 6 to 8 weeks from filing (and perhaps longer). Upon arrival of the Receipt ...
In a 5-4 decision issued June 18, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Trump Administration's cancellation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), which currently protects approximately 800,000 immigrants from deportation, was improper. In short, DACA is a program crea...
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is, for lack of a better description, temporary lawful residence in the United States. TPS gives the holder the ability to live and work in the United States during the period of validity. The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS...
New Year's Resolutions for Human Resource Professionals – To Make Your Immigration Counsel Happy! “The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” The start of a new year often means folks are seeking a fresh start, p...
On February 12, 2018, the Texas Service Center (TSC) will begin processing L-1A and B Visa Petitions normally processed by the Vermont Service Center (VSC). The California Service Center (CSC) will continue to handle L Visa Petitions. This move is made by the USCIS to “balance workloads and to p...
In the weeks following the opening and closing of the annual H-1B filing window, which I affectionately describe as “Duck Season for Immigration Lawyers,” we immigration lawyers, our clients and the clients' international employees, anxiously await results on who won the lottery – the H-1B lotter...
It was long the case that H-4 Visa holders were not eligible to work in the United States. H-4 Visa holders are the spouses and minor (unmarried) children of H-1B Visas holders. In May 2015 the Department of Homeland Security announced that certain H-4 Spouses would be eligible to work. Specifica...
The USCIS, by Memorandum dated March 31, 2017, rescinded a December 22, 2000 Memorandum titled “Guidance memo on H1B computer related positions.” The 2000 Memorandum provided guidance on whether certain computer-related occupations qualified as “specialty occupations” – namely the role of Comput...
E-Verify announced in June 2016 that it will start locking (deactivating) user IDs that have not been accessed for 270 days. The deactivation process begins on August 1, 2016 and is a retroactive look-back as of August 1st. This means that as of August 1, 2016, a user account that has not been ac...
USCIS Aims to Increase Fees on Majority of USCIS Forms “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” ~ P. J. O'Rourke Despite the folly of giving your money to the government, you will soon be handing over even more. This month the Department of Home...
The mention of March Madness brings to mind a joyous frenzy of basketball predictions, odds and good-hearted banter. To immigration lawyers, HR Staff, Recruiters and highly skilled workers, March Madness entails a systematic, yet frenzied, unpredictable approach to the hiring of and employment of...
On December 18, 2015 President Obama signed into law the FY2016 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which includes a provision reinstating the Supplemental Fees charged to U.S. employers who are considered “heavy” users of the H-1B and L visa programs. First, let's talk facts: The new fees were effectiv...
“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” ~ Melody Beattie The holidays have passed. The decorations are down and packed away. Folks are settling into the new year with a fresh start, percolating ideas and ch...
“Think ahead. Don't let day-to-day operations drive out planning. ” Donald Rumsfeld Developing company policies is a multi-faceted process that requires time, thought, insight, debate and a desire to develop systems that reliably manage people, a program or a process. Immigration is one of those...
