Tag Archives: employment-based immigration
STATE DEPARTMENT ANTICIPATES FORWARD VISA NUMBER MOVEMENT IN SOME EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRATION CATEGORIES
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for February 2015 notes that movement is possible in some employment-based categories in the coming months. In the employment-based “Worldwide” third preference category, the Visa Office expects rapid forward movement “for at least another month or two.” The bulletin notes that rapid movement in recent months is expected to […]
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State Department No Longer Requires Original Documents for Consular Processing!
A State Department memorandum announces that the National Visa Center (NVC) will cease collecting original civil documents in support of immigrant visa (IV) applications as of November 12, 2014. Most applicants will be required to submit photocopies of supporting documents (such as birth, marriage, and police certificates) and will be instructed to take their original documents to […]
H-1B Visas for Nurses
On July 11, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum providing guidance on the adjudication of H-1B petitions for nursing positions. The memo assists USCIS officers in determining whether a nursing position meets the definition of a specialty occupation. The memo states that it supersedes any prior guidance on the subject […]
Approved H-1Bs With October 1st Start Date May Apply for Visas Now
Beneficiaries of approved H-1B petitions with an October 1, 2014 start date may now begin filing their visa applications at U.S. consular posts. According to a State Department regulation: “Posts are authorized to accept H visa petitions and issue visas to qualified applicants up to 90 days in advance of applicants’ beginning of employment status. […]
Immigrants are important to U.S. science and engineering
A recent article by The American Immigration Council discusses two new reports by The National Foundation for American Policy. One report highlights the increasing importance of immigrants to science and engineering in America. Among the report’s various findings are that 42 percent of researchers at the top seven cancer research centers are foreign-born. Additionally, the […]
Difficulties of Obtaining H-1B Visas for Employees of Small or Start-Up Companies
Two years ago, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an initiative to support small and start-up business to obtain the workers they need. Most foreign, professional level workers are hired through the H-1B Visa process. To date, smaller or start-up companies still encounter certain difficulties when applying for H-1B visas: USCIS sometimes claims that there […]
Backlogs in Indian and Chinese Immigration Cases
Visa Office Update on Priority Dates and Demand (Updated 11/27/13) During a recent conversation with Roberta Freedman, AILA Students & Scholars Committee member, Charlie Oppenheim of the Department of State’s Visa Office provided the following information and updates regarding demand in the employment-based immigrant visa categories. Please note that these notes are based on Mr. […]
Labor Department Criteria for PERM Audits and Supervised Recruitment
The Labor Department has provided a list of criteria it uses in determining which PERM applications to audit, or which will require supervised recruitment.
CIS Locks Social Security Numbers Provided by E-Verify
In an article on the USCIS website, CIS describes how it will not detect and prevent fraudulent use of Social Security Numbers through the E-Verify system. CIS hopes to detect SSNs that have been stolen, borrowed or purchased from other individuals. CIS is now able to lock an SSN that appears to have been misused, protecting […]
