Last week I attended the Annual Immigration Lawyers conference in Las Vegas. During the conference, government officials spent some time to update the attendees of the most recent information and upcoming changes. It seems that the collection of the $500 fraud fee for new H1B or L-1 petitions is being…
The Department of Labor published a final rule, effective on June 29, 2009, that suspends the H-2A final rule published on December 18, 2009. DOL is republishing and reinstating regulations in place on January 16, 2009, for 9 months, after which the Department will either have engaged in further rulemaking…
As of May 29, 2009, approximately 45,800 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory…
BusinessWeek featured an excellent story about O1 visas, often known as the Genius visas. While the spotlight is now on H1B visas or the debate on Immigration Reform, it is important to cover this important and often overlooked visa. O1 visas are awarded to immigrants with extraordinary abilities in the…
Truly sign of the times. According to USCIS As of May 11, 2009, approximately 45,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B…
The American Immigration Policy Center issued an excellent Fact Sheet about H2A farm orkers and the need for reform. The Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security (AgJOBS) Act has long served as a blueprint for comprehensive immigration reform. AgJOBS, which combines an earned legalization program for farmworkers with a reform…
The H-2B visa program is vital to America’s small businesses and thus to America’s economic recovery. The H-2B program is capped at 66,000 visas per year. This is the same arbitrary number set by Congress in 1990. The visa allotment is split equally between the winter and summer seasons. Small…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced information on the number of filings for H-1B petitions for the fiscal year 2010 program. USCIS has received approximately 45,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the Congressionally-mandated 65,000 cap. The agency continues to accept petitions subject to the general cap. Additionally, the agency…
Hotel News Now, a leading Global Hospitality publication, ran a two-part series about staffing challenges facing the U.S. hotel industry. I was honored to be interviewed by the publication and share my insights on the problems facing hospitality employer in these challenging times. With the level of unemployment about 8.5…
Since my last Blog article on E2 visas, I have been getting numerous emails about this hot topic from across the globe. Investors are anxious to come, but need the most up to date information about the E2 visa as a way to relocate and start a business in America.…