Here is a quick update from the California Service Center regarding this new fee. The additional filing fees of $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $2,250 for certain L- 1A and L-1B petitions is applicable to petitioning employers who employ 50 or more employees in the United States and 50%…
The H-2B program is critically important for many businesses that have difficulty finding U.S. workers to fill temporary jobs. This is particularly true in seasonal industries. Comments from H-2B employers attest to the need for foreign workers in physically demanding seasonal jobs, often in remote locations, that many U.S. workers…
There are certain employers, agents and even Attorney who engage in illegal and unethical practices. The government is working actively to punish such parties by excluding them from filing under the seasonal and permanent Labor Certification programs. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification maintains the list below of employers, attorneys,…
The International Exchange Center issued a practice guide regarding J1 visas for Trainees and Interns. New final rules became effective Sept. 9, 2010 for J trainee and intern programs 22 C.F.R.§ 62 (2010). With few exceptions, the final rule will produce little change to the way J trainee and intern…
So many times a client will come to the office and ask for an extension to stay longer in the United States. Many times we will determine that the client is already out of status, and an extension can not be filed. When I inform the client of the news,…
According to a recent USCIS guidance an employer may not hire an H-1B worker prior to USCIS approving the H-1B petition unless the employee (i) is currently in H-1B status, or (ii) is the beneficiary of a timely filed H-1B extension of status petition. If the employee is in another…
USCIS has updated the H-1B Cap Count recently: H-1B Cap Count Cap Type – H-1B Regular Cap Cap Amount – 65,000 Cap Eligible Petitions – 44,300 Date of Last Count – 10/22/2010 Cap Type – H-1B Master’s Exemption Cap Amount – 20,000 Cap Eligible Petitions – 16,200 Date of Last…
Our clients, participants of J-1 exchange visitor programs, are often confused as to the nature of this rule and its applicability. Below is a summary on what this rule means and when it applies. Certain J-1 exchange visitors are subject to two-year foreign residence requirement, also known as a “two-year…
Many readers of the Blog and our clients often want to know how can they qualify for the H1B visa even without a degree. Attorney Kate Powell from our office prepared an excellent article on the topic and it is featured below. H-1B is a nonimmigrant work visa category, which…
This is another update on the H2B wage issue. On August 30, 2010, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Comitè de Apoyo los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA) v. Solis, et al., Civil No. 2:09-cv-240-LP, 2010 WL 3431761 (E.D. Pa.) invalidated the Department’s use of skill levels…