The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2015 Visa Bulletin, which is the final visa bulletin for fiscal year 2015. To the disappointment of many, the employment-based, second preference (EB2) category for India and China retrogresses to January 1, 2006. On a far more...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder to nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone of the August 18, 2015 deadline for temporary protected status (TPS) registration. Eligible individuals must apply by the deadline in order to obtain the corresponding immigration benefits. Eligibility...
On August 12, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not follow proper procedures when they created the STEM OPT extension regulation. Thus, the Court vacated or struck down the regulation, effective February...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an explanation regarding signature waivers for permanent resident cards (i.e. green cards). This is in reference to situations in which a form I-551 (commonly, a "green card") bears the notation signature waived, rather than the green card...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Visa Bulletin for September 2015 contains significant changes for Indian nationals. There is favorable news in the employment-based, third preference (EB3) category for India. The cutoff date for EB3 advances by more than six months, to December 22, 2004....
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is responsible for the PERM labor certification (PERM LC) process. The PERM LC process is the first of three stages in most employment-based permanent residence (commonly, "green card") cases. Each quarter, the DOL summarizes key PERM-related data that provides...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed that the Vermont Service Center (VSC) is experiencing delays in issuing J-1 waiver approval notices. This is creating problems for J-1 physicians who need these notices from the VSC in order to proceed with the waiver...
After a PERM labor certification (LC) case is filed, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is permitted to audit the case. The purpose of these audits is to verify that the petitioning employer is complying with the applicable legal requirements. These audits can either be targeted...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued final guidance specifying the requirements for filing amended H1B petitions based on changes in worksite location. This guidance makes some concessions to employers of H1B workers, in response to concerns raised following the May 2015 issuance of initial...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has launched eFOIA a new, free mobile application that allows users to submit and track Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This is part of an ongoing effort to improve the FOIA process and response time within the DHS. DHS...
