After several years of investigations and further scrutiny, the R1 visa is back in the Premium Processing category under certain strict conditions. Only those petitioners who have successfully passed an on-site inspection are eligible to use Premium Processing Service. Premium Processing Service is only available for R-1 nonimmigrant religious worker…
The analysis of census data from both the U.S. and Mexican governments, being released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, highlights the impact of the economic downturn on Mexican immigrants, many of whom enter the United States illegally. The study found that immigrants arriving from Mexico fell by 249,000 from…
We all know that Asylum is a tough relief to get and one must fit a very strict set of legal standards. Mostly political or related cases. But now the Obama Administration opened the door to a new policy. The government has opened the way for foreign women who are…
U.S. Department of State’s visa bulletin brought some relief for some EB-2 applicants. The cutoff date for India and China moved forward to October 1, 2003 which had recently retrogressed to January 1, 2000. No explanation was provided for the change to October 1, 2003. Summary of August 2009’ visa…
U.S. Department of Labor has implemented a new integrated online system – known as the iCert Portal – through which employers can submit applications for permanent labor certification, labor condition applications (LCAs) and other applications for immigration-related DOL programs. In addition, the agency will introduce new editions of Form ETA-9089,…
From time to time we publish posts by guest writers, this article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of court reporter school online at her blog Court Reporter Schools. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com Obtaining a visa to enter…
The recent steps taken by Obama Administration to zero in on employers with I-9 gross violation, I would like to suggest the employers few measures which I’ve gleaned from assisting employers survive such audits over the years: – Employers has to make sure that each new hire completes Section 1…
On July 9, the Senate, by a vote of 84 to 6, passed a DHS funding bill which includes a variety of immigration enforcement and benefits measures. The measure now goes to a House-Senate Conference Committee which must reconcile this bill with a funding measure previously passed by the House…
The government has tens of billions of dollars left in the eye-popping $700 billion bank bailout fund created last fall, prompting a debate in Congress over what to do with it. The question of what to do with the money will grow more pressing in coming months as Congress takes…
USCIS has announced that the H1B cap count continues to inch forward, with an approximate count of 45,000 as of July 3, 2009. This is a slight increase over the last count. As of this writing, both the advanced-degree and regular caps remain open for FY2010. We will continue to…