Articles Posted in Immigration News

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a News Alert (12/11/13) stating that the statutory maximum of 10,000 U nonimmigrant petitions (U Visas) for FY2014 has been reached. This is the 5th year in a row that this maximum cap has been reached before the end of the fiscal year. USCIS will continue to accept U visa petitions! USCIS will process them in the order received at the beginning of FY2015, which starts October 1, 2014, at that point the U Visa cap of 10,000 will open again.

The U nonimmigrant status (U Visa) is set aside for victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. Note that a U-Visa petition requires certification of assistance from law enforcement.

Source of Information:

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 an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.

Question #1 – H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa

One year ago I employed someone on HIB 3yr visa. I just found out today that he has applied for a similar job in Australia. What recourse do I have?

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will be presenting a national Spanish language Enlace session. ENLACE stands for ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education and it will take place on Wednesday, December 11, 2013, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm (EST).

The Enlace session will include the following:

– USCIS agency updates;

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 Blog.

If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, priority dates, the monthly visa bulletin, adjustment applications, etc., please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.

Our next “Q & A Forum” will take place this Friday, December 6, 2013. Act now and submit your questions!

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 in helping the relative to immigrate to the United States.

The USCIS has been receiving feedback from the public expressing concerns regarding extended processing times for Form I-130. USCIS is working on the delays as part of their goal of preserving family unity. In the last few months the processing time has went from October 2012 to February 2013; that puts the processing time to around 9 months. We have found in practice that current I-130 processing is taking between 6 months to 11 months. USCIS’s goal is to return to an average processing time of five months by May 2014.

Last month, in an effort to expedite the adjudication of these cases, USCIS began transferring stand-alone Forms I-130 filed by U.S. citizens for their immediate relatives from USCIS’s National Benefits Center to its Nebraska, Texas, and California Service Centers. This shift improves USCIS’s ability to adjudicate the cases in a timely manner.”

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 an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.

Question #1 – H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa

I have been offered a full time position as a charge nurse for the Emergency Department in an underserved area in Kansas. I’m currently a graduate student with F1 visa and a bachelor’s degree in nursing. My employer is willing to sponsor H-1B in April 2014. Please let me know if it is possible to file for an H-1B.

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.

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 particular case.

California Service Center

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 Blog.

If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, priority dates, the monthly visa bulletin, adjustment applications, etc., please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.

Our next “Q & A Forum” will take place this Friday, November 22, 2013. Act now and submit your questions!

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 forum on Potential Immigration Reform and Stopping Notario Fraud. MVP Law Group‘s Managing Attorney, Kellie Lego was one of the Attorney Panelists presenting at the clinic.

List of Panelists:

Julia Toro – Attorney, Private Practice Adonia R. Simpson –Attorney, Non-profit Kellie Lego – Attorney, Private Practice Lory D. Rosenberg – Attorney, Private Practice Anne Schaufele – Law Clerk, Non-profit

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