H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

October 30, 2017

Reminder – Diversity Visa (DV-2019) Lottery – UPDATED entry period dates!

UPDATE

Due to a technical issue, the DV-2019 entry period that began on October 3 has been closed. Entries submitted during October 3-10 are not valid and have been excluded from the system; they will not count as a duplicate entry. The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017. Only entries submitted during this period will be accepted and considered for selection in the lottery. Please throw away any confirmation number or other documentation that you have if you submitted an entry during Oct. 3-10.

Link: Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery

October 27, 2017

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, October 27, 2017

by Kellie N. Lego

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 – Diversity Visa (DV)

Why do natives of certain countries not qualify for the Diversity Visa (DV) program?

October 26, 2017

Updated Service Center Processing Times (8/31/17)

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 10/13/17 with processing dates as of 8/31/17.

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 (CSC)

October 25, 2017

UPDATED – Watch out for Diversity Visa Program Fraud

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATED

The Department of State, Office of Visa Services is warning the public of an increase in fraudulent emails and letters sent to Diversity Visa (DV) program (Visa Lottery) applicants. They warned that scammers may try to pose as U.S. government officials, trying to deceive applicants and possibly trying to take their money and private information. They warned DV applicants to only interact with the U.S. Department of State (DOS). Applicants should visit https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ for official U.S. government information on the program.

DOS began taking online registration for the FY2019 Diversity Visa Program on 10/18/17. The registration period will end on Wednesday, 11/22/17. Again, please visit https://www.dvlottery.state.gov/ for official U.S. government information on the program and more details.

October 24, 2017

MVP Immigration Newsletter – September 2017

by Kellie N. Lego

Once a month, MVP Law Groups’ Managing Attorney, Kellie N. Lego publishes an electronic Immigration Newsletter. This emailed newsletter features current articles, relevant data and up-to-date information about U.S. Immigration. We invite you to join our mailing list.

Current Newsletter: MVP Immigration Newsletter – September 2017

Follow link to join: Join our mailing list!

October 23, 2017

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, Oct. 27, 2017

by Kellie N. Lego

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, October 27, 2017. Act now and submit your questions!

October 20, 2017

BALCA Reverses Denial, Finds Nexus between Ads and Position on ETA 9089

by Kellie N. Lego

The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently reversed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Business Development Specialist.”

After receiving & reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO denied certification because the job title recorded in the two newspaper advertisements communicated the job title as “Business Development VP” as an alternative to “Business Development Specialist.” The CO thought this inconsistency was an infringement of PERM regulations 20 C.F.R. § 656.10 and 20 C.F.R. § 656.17(f)(3).

PERM regulation 20 C.F.R. § 656.10(c) (8) requires the petitioning employer to demonstrate that the job has been visibly accessible to any U.S. worker. The PERM regulation § 656.17(f)(3) requires any print advertisement to specifically detail the job requirements in order to give US workers the chance to apply for the position.

October 19, 2017

AAO Processing Times – Released 10/10/17 (FY17 4th Qtr.)

by Kellie N. Lego

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 10/10/17. If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Administrative Appeals Office

Starting with the January 2017 Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times Report, the AAO has changed how it presents processing time data. The AAO will now provide, by form type, the total number of case completions for the fiscal year quarter and the percentage completed within 180 days, cases completed divided by their projected case goal. For further details please review the USCIS Web Page, “Administrative Appeals Office“.

October 18, 2017

Diversity Visa (DV-2019) Lottery – UPDATED entry period dates!

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE

Due to a technical issue, the DV-2019 entry period that began on October 3 has been closed. Entries submitted during October 3-10 are not valid and have been excluded from the system; they will not count as a duplicate entry. The technical issue has been resolved and a new full entry period will begin at noon, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time on Wednesday October 18, 2017 and will run until noon Eastern Standard Time on Wednesday November 22, 2017. Only entries submitted during this period will be accepted and considered for selection in the lottery. Please throw away any confirmation number or other documentation that you have if you submitted an entry during Oct. 3-10.

Link: Electronic Diversity Visa Lottery

October 17, 2017

Visa Bulletin – November 2017

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the November 2017 Visa Bulletin

The monthly Visa Bulletin has changed. The bulletin now summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during the reported month for: “Application Final Action Dates” (consistent with prior Visa Bulletins) and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center using Consular Processing (outside of the US) or file on their own with USCIS Form I-485 (within the US).