Last night, in his first speech before a joint session of Congress, President Trump called on lawmakers to reform the U.S. immigration system. The President asserted that the "… current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers." He...
Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions almost every month. The update this month for the March 2017 Visa Bulletin provides predictions related to most employment-based categories, as well...
Many U.S. employers that normally engage in providing tech consulting services seek to expand revenue streams by also developing their own proprietary software that can be marketed to clients. As part of the development process, these companies may seek to hire H1B workers to serve...
On February 14, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the long-awaited application for employment authorization for abused nonimmigrant spouses (form I-765V). The new form allows certain categories of nonimmigrant spouses, including those in A, E-3, G, or H status, to now apply...
On Friday, two memos were signed by John Kelly, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that detail how the DHS will be implementing President Trump's executive orders related to border security and internal enforcement of immigration laws. One memo, entitled "Implementing the President's...
There are no real surprises in the March 2017 Visa Bulletin. There is no movement in the dates for filing (DF) chart, and the final action (FA) chart advances are about what was expected. This month's visa bulletin also includes a number of predictions for...
Today, President Trump stated that he will be "issuing a new executive action next week that will comprehensively protect our country." He further vowed to appeal the court decision that is currently blocking the travel ban he initiated via a January 27, 2017 executive order....
Retired Marine Corps General John F. Kelly was officially sworn in as the fifth Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on January 20, 2016. Secretary Kelly replaces former secretary Jeh Johnson, who served in the role under President Obama since December of...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released supplement J, a new form to be used in conjunction with applications to adjust status (form I-485). Supplement J serves to provide confirmation of a bona fide job offer or to notify the USCIS in cases...
This evening, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision to temporarily prevent the government from enforcing a travel ban implemented via executive order on January 27, 2017. The travel ban has not been in effect since a federal district court granted...
