Since the year 1990, USCIS has administered the Immigrant Investor Program, better known as ‘EB-5’. The program was first launched by Congress with the goal of expanding the U.S. economy by encouraging job creation and capital investment through foreign investment. It has now become known for its Regional Center pilot…
Visa Lawyer Blog
California District Court Rules that Entry-Level Public Relations Specialist is not a “Specialty Occupation” for H-1B purposes
By Ekaterina Powell, Esq. In the recent case Caremax Inc. v. Holder (N.D. Cal., 2014), the court granted the government’s motion for summary judgment and ruled that Public Relations Specialist offered to the beneficiary is not an H-1B caliber position. The H-1B employer and the employee filed a declaratory relief…
US Supreme Court Rejects Appeals to Uphold Anti-Immigrant Housing Ordinances
The Law Offices of Jacob J. Sapochnick bring you the most recent developments in immigration policy at the judiciary level. We express our concern at the hesitation the federal judicial system and our federal legislative system has shown in their reluctance to address the issue of comprehensive immigration reform. Recently,…
USCIS To Begin Premium Processing on April 28th
On April 17th, USCIS announced that premium processing for H-1B petitions, subject to the fiscal cap year of 2015, would begin on April 28, including petitions qualifying for the advanced degree exemption. Additionally, USCIS guarantees a processing time of 15 calendar days for such petitions.
Frequently Asked Questions about EB-5, H-1B Self Employed, and Fiancé Visa Application for Chinese Nationals
By Yingfei Zhou, Esq. Q: How can I apply for EB-5 visa? A: There are two requirements on foreign investors seeking a green card. First, you must invest sufficient funds in an approved project of your choice. Second, ten new full-time jobs must be created as a direct result of…
USCIS Update for DACA Renewals
Beginning September of 2012, USCIS began granting what is known as deferred action to children who arrived to the United States before reaching the age of 16, having met other various requirements. Eligible deferred action applicants received an employment authorization good for a period of up to two years from…
USCIS Announces H-1B Cap Reached
On April 07, 2014, in a much awaited public announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it had already reached the statutory cap of H-1B petitions allotted for the 2015 fiscal year. According to the announcement, on the first five days USCIS began to count H-1B petitions, it was…
What to Expect with H-1B 2015 Season
Now that the H-1B cases have been filed, we are anxiously waiting to get the news from USCIS on the cap count. Last year, USCIS announced on April 5 that it received approximately 124,000 H-1B petitions during the five day filing period, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption.…
H-1B Visa for Start-up Companies
Our office receives many inquiries from start-up companies that want to hire employees under H-1B visa. As the H-1B season has begun, we would like to provide our readers with the updates and important considerations for this category of H-1B visas. The following article was prepared by attorney Ekaterina Powell…
E2 Visa for Israelis: March 2014 Update
Recently, the Israeli government approved a proposal from Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar for American investors who wish to visit Israel on a more frequent basis. It is a new arrangement that is part of a recent program to allow Israelis seeking to invest in the U.S. and who wish to…