The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have sent out an email notice to USCIS Stakeholders that they are working to reduce the extended processing times for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. This form is filed by U.S. citizens for their eligible immediate relatives and is the first step…
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog
H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 11/15/13
The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (11/15/13); 8,028 beneficiaries have been…
BALCA on Travel Requirements and Multi-Position Notices of Filing
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for several “Software Engineer” positions. Upon evaluating an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO ordered the Employer to present copies of its recruitment data. After reviewing the…
MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, November 22, 2013
MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create…
USCIS Teleconference – 2D Barcode Forms Technology – Tuesday, 11/6/13
I participated in the USCIS Teleconference on their development and use of 2D Barcode Forms Technology. I have included some of the main points covered during this discussion. Points Covered in Teleconference: As the new 2D form is filled out a unique 2D barcode is created. USCIS will at some…
Updated Service Center Processing Times
Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 11/18/13 with processing dates as of 9/30/13. 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…
BALCA Rejects Newspaper HQ as Determinative in Evaluating Area of Intended Employment
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently overturned the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Computer Programmer.” Upon evaluating an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO denied the Labor Application because the Employer ran its recruitment advertising in…
MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, November 22, 2013
We wanted to find a new way to engage our reader base. Every other Friday, we will post the ten (10) best/most frequently asked questions received during the week from our h1bvisalawyerblog, Facebook, and Twitter readers. We will answer those questions and provide the Q&A on our H-1B Visa Lawyer…
BALCA Discusses Substantially Equivalent Alternative Requirements
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Senior Software Engineer.” The CO denied the labor certification stating the alternative requirements for the position were different (not substantially equivalent) from the primary job…
Wrap-up – Forum on Potential Immigration Reform and Stopping Notario Fraud
The DC Pro Bono Week (Oct. 19–26) presented by the Washington Council of Lawyers (WCL) finished the week with an Immigration Reform Clinic on Saturday, Oct. 26th, 2013 in Arlington, VA. The Immigration Reform Clinic which was sponsored by the DC Chapter of AILA and Equal Justice Works included a…