The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to steeply hike U.S. visa fees for skilled workers to raise $600 million in emergency funding to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. Senators passed a similar plan last week. But since the House version passed in a voice vote on Tuesday…
H-1B Cap Count as on August 6, 2010: Cap Type – H-1B Regular Cap Cap Amount – 65,000 Cap Eligible Petitions – 28,500 Date of Last Count – 8/6/2010 Cap Type – H-1B Master’s Exemption Cap Amount – 20,000 Cap Eligible Petitions – 11,900 Date of Last Count – 8/6/2010
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued new PERM FAQs on August 3, 2010. The issues addressed by DOL in this round of FAQs include expedite requests, how to document the use of an employee referral program, unsolicited documentation and what constitutes a “business day” for purposes of posting the Notice…
The local San Diego USCIS office suggests that certain remedies may be available for military families facing the problem of ineligibility to adjust status because of unlawful entry by a family member seeking adjustment of status. Most often the situation occurs when a United States citizen service member’s spouse entered…
On 8/5/10, with hours left before the beginning on the August recess, the Senate passed a $600 million emergency spending bill aimed at increasing border security. The bill, titled the Emergency Border Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2010, was passed by a voice vote. Senator Schumer (D-NY), along with several…
Who deported more Bush or Obama? TRAC report finding that ICE data shows a ten percent increase between the number of noncitizens removed during the first nine months of FY 2010 as the result of ICE enforcement compared to the same period in FY 2008, the last fiscal year of…
Recently an undated USCIS draft memorandum surfaced. The Memo was offering administrative relief options to promote family unity, foster economic growth, achieve significant process improvements, and reduce the threat of removal for certain individuals present in the United States without authorization. Here is the entire memo for our readers to…
Australian Immigration Minister Chris Evans announced recently a new agreement between Australia and New Zealand to improve identity checks and border security. Australia and New Zealand recently signed a memorandum of understanding [MoU] to share biometric data, an agreement that will further strengthen our nations’ border security. Biometrics is widely…
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has applauded the brainstorm of ideas in a draft memo from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The now-public draft, leaked without the permission of USCIS, examines the legal framework of immigration and explores possible solutions. AILA commends this reflection of the…
Citing security concerns, the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez is closed on July 30, 2010 and has cancelled all scheduled appointments and services for that date. Information on date of reopening will be announced by warden notice and posting on their web page. American citizens with appointments for passport…