**The hearing date has been re-scheduled for April 19th at 10:00am (EST). Senator Leahy, the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman has announced that a full committee hearing on comprehensive immigration reform has been scheduled for April 17th. The Senate hearing will be held at Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.…
Now that all of the new H-1B visas for the 2014 Fiscal Year have been allocated, What options do Employers who are looking to hire Foreign National Professionals have? Here are some creative solutions to this problem: OPT – STEM Extension If the company is registered for E-Verify, the database…
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is granted to foreign citizens or nationals after fulfilling the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). After naturalization, foreign-born citizens enjoy nearly all the same benefits, rights and responsibilities that the Constitution gives to native-born U.S. citizens,…
For the first time since 2008, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the statutory H-1B cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2014 within the first week of the filing period. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree…
“Unless you are one of the first Americans, unless you are a Native American, you came from someplace else. That’s why we’ve always defined ourselves as a nation of immigrants. And we’ve always been better off for it.” – President Obama President Obama and his staff are looking for stories…
A legal permanent resident (LPR) or “green card” recipient is defined by immigration law as a person who has been granted lawful permanent residence in the United States. Permanent resident status confers certain rights and responsibilities. For example, LPRs may live and work permanently anywhere in the United States, own…
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 4/1/13 with processing dates as of 1/31/13. If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your…
The USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC) is introducing new public hours of operation for their toll-free number at 800-375-5283. Effective immediately, USCIS will eliminate Saturday hours of operation. Beginning April 1, the NCSC will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, in all four time…
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 3/22/13 with processing dates as of 1/31/13. If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your…