For the first time in several years the H1B visa system, is unlikely to reach its cap of 65,000 before the start of the 2010 fiscal with nearly 18,000 slots lying vacant thanks to the US economy. As of August 8, 2009, approximately 44,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been received…
Recently AILA shared some information about a “new” benefit fraud assessment program in which USCIS is beginning to use the millions of dollars it has received over the last decade from the “fraud fee” in the H-1B program. This new program involves the hiring of a private contractor to send…
U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued instructions on making inquiries with the agency’s four Service Centers. Customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups should follow this guidance when inquiring about case related issues. This new process standardizes customer service and streamlines processing of customer inquiries at USCIS Service…
There is not a dull moment this summer for us immigration lawyers, all thanks to good old USCIS. On 8/6/09 USCIS announced that it has reopened the fiscal year 2009 H-2B petition filing period and will immediately accept petitions. This is after closing the cap in January this year. How…
President Obama promised during the election campaign that Immigration reform will be high on his list once elected president. Speaking to Hispanic reporters at the White House, Obama said last week he hopes a bill for comprehensive immigration reform will be drafted by the end of this year. Obama tapped…
We all know that the nation’s immigrant detention system is a mess. This consists of a collection of public and private facilities that have been widely criticized in recent years, including in two lawsuits that alleged poor conditions in a San Diego detention center. Also, abuse of detainees as well…
California taxpayers need to cover higher fees of private lawyers, who are hired by the state as the Attorney General’s Office doesn’t have the staff to handle all of the cases internally. In some instances, the state has employed outside counsel at hourly rates that reach $450 even while most…
These are fun and hot summer days for us Immigration lawyers filing H1B cases. As employers are starting to hire again, we are faced with the challenges of the new Labor Condition Application System, iCert. The Labor Condition Application is a document which must be certified by the US Department…
Immigration Reform is getting delayed. The legislation, which was expected to be passed within 100 days of the swearing in of President Barack Obama. Immigration reform activists disappointed that the Obama administration has not given immigration top billing, are trying to push the same off the back burner by pressing…
USCIS has reminded all applicants for Adjustment of Status, Asylum, Legalization and Temporary Protected Status to obtain an Advance Parole (AP) document before traveling abroad. AP allows an applicant to re-enter the U.S. after traveling abroad. In order to obtain Advance Parole, individuals must file Form I-131, Application for Travel…