Effective December 21, 2009, the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Reauthorization Act will sunset. The Nursing Relief for Disadvantage Areas Act (NRDAA) established the H-1C Program in 1999 to reduce the shortage of qualified nurses in health professional shortage areas. The Program was reauthorized until December 20, 2009 under the…
With predictions that the H1B cap will be reached any day now, employers and employees are rushing to beat the cap. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, as of December 4th, it had received approximately 61,100 H-1B petitions counting toward the congressionally-mandated 65,000 limit. Additionally, USCIS has…
This update is provided by AILA and we are happy to share. At the New York CLE on December 1, 2009, USCIS representatives discussed H-1B usage. Without revealing the exact number of H-1B petitions have been received, nor providing an estimate of the number of H-1B visas remaining, USCIS indicated…
So this may be the last week of H1B visa filings, as of November 27, 2009, approximately 58,900 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…
Here are some tips from the Vermont Service Center. VSC will accept I-539 applications to change status to I status for representatives of foreign press, radio, film, or other foreign information media. The I visa is generally issued at a U.S. consulate with a contract or job letter from a…
Crazy times with the H1B visa these days. As we are nearing the end of 2009, with H1B visa numbers open from April, it seems that the end is near. Recent cap update indicates that 1300 visas were approved last week. So far 56,900 visas were filed, leaving us with…
As our economy is heading towards recovery, we must recognize the role of small businesses and Entrepreneurs in taking the lead and keeping us optimistic. Investments in small businesses are especially significant to the national interest of the United States. The Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates that 99 percent of…
The most recent update from the USCIS is showing again a steady approval rate. The jump we saw in October was just due to a more current update of the approval, nit an increase in filing according to the USCIS. If this pace will continue we will see visas all…
In response to the major delays with Labor Condition Applications (LCA’s), the USCIS announced a temporary policy and procedural change regarding H1B petition filings. Effective November 5, 2009, H1B cases can be filed prior to the certification of the required Labor Condition Application (LCA). This change was necessitated by delays…
USCIS recently issued a Memo that amends Adjudicator’s Field Manual on General Form I-140 Issues. Many issues are covered, but one of particular interest to our PERM readers is the Labor Certification Validity for Labor Certifications with an Ending Validity Date that Falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Federal Legal…