The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has released the January 2019 Visa Bulletin. There is a bit of movement for the employment-based, first preference (EB1) category. For the employment-based, second preference (EB2) and employment-based, third preference (EB3) categories, however, there is almost no movement. All...
Anna Stepanova, Assistant Managing Attorney and Member at the Murthy Law Firm, recently had an article published by the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA). While the article is written for attorneys, we share this with our readers who may be interested in a more detailed...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded its Information Services Modernization Program to more field offices. The Detroit and Los Angeles field offices recently were added to the program, which aims to end self-scheduled InfoPass appointments and steer applicants towards online information. The...
Congress has passed a short-term bill to fund the federal government for two weeks. The federal budget is now extended through December 21, 2018. This bill also extends various immigration programs for the same time period, including the employment-based, fifth preference (EB5) regional center program.Congress...
On December 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would establish a registration requirement for cap-subject H1B petitions (i.e., petitions filed in the H1B "lottery"). The proposed rule is intended to reduce the costs associated with...
Most federal agencies will be closed on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 for a national day of mourning to commemorate the death of former President George H.W. Bush. Few specifics have been provided, but this closure appears to apply to all federal offices and non-essential federal...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has made several changes to the ETA form 9035 labor condition application (LCA). The changes primarily impact employers who place workers at offsite locations and employers that are H1B-dependent. Background on LCAs An approved LCA from the DOL is necessary in...
On Monday, December 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is scheduled to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register that, if enacted, would require employers filing cap-subject H1B petitions (i.e., petitions filed in the H1B lottery) to pre-register. The...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, Charles Oppenheim, provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions. This month, Mr. Oppenheim provides some updated predictions regarding the employment-based categories, including a sobering long-term prediction for the employment-based, second preference (EB2)...
As stakeholders are no doubt aware, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Trump Administration has taken a narrow view of the educational requirements that are permitted for a position to be considered a specialty occupation for H1B purposes. Specifically, the USCIS has...
