H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

December 4, 2023

AAO Processing Times – FY 2023 4th Quarter with UPDATE

The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) provides an updated ‘processing times’ in table form, with information on FY2023 fourth quarterly completions; July 2023 to September 2023. These figures indicate the time that it takes from the date the case is received at AAO coming from the Service Center or District Office to completion.

AAO Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 11/2/23. If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Note: 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.

December 1, 2023

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – 12/1/23

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.

What is the 3-year bar? If you enter the U.S. and remain in the U.S. without authorization for more than 180 days but less than one year, you trigger the 3-year bar. https://www.uscis.gov/laws-and-policy/other-resources/unlawful-presence-and-inadmissibility

What is the 10-year bar? If you enter the U.S. and remain in the U.S. without authorization for more than one year, you trigger the 10-year bar. https://www.uscis.gov/laws-and-policy/other-resources/unlawful-presence-and-inadmissibility

November 30, 2023

USCIS Webinar – How to Become a US Citizen (English) (11/30/23)

by Kellie N. Lego

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be holding a webinar, “How to Become a US Citizen (English)” on Thursday, November 30, 2023, between 6:00 to 7:00 pm (Pacific) which is between 9:00 and 10:00 pm (Eastern). This session is about Citizenship/Naturalization and will include information on naturalization eligibility, testing, and citizenship rights and responsibilities.

How to join this webinar on Webex:

Link: https://uscis.webex.com/uscis/j.php?MTID=me562097d7a2cee945acce14a2fcc3fa1

November 29, 2023

USCIS’ Social Media Directory!

by Kellie N. Lego

USCIS has a Social Media Directory on its website, they state that they are making information more accessible, their actual words are “more widely available”! This directory contains USCIS accounts for X (twitter), Facebook, Instagram and many others including regional. Please use the link below to view the directory.

USCIS Link to Social Media Directory

Source of Information:

November 28, 2023

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, we thought that it would be a good time to provide some statistics on the Immigrant population in the United States as provided by this AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky!

November 27, 2023

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, December 1, 2023

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, December 1, 2023. Act now and submit your questions!

November 24, 2023

Update – Visa Bulletin – December 2023

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the December 2023 Visa Bulletin

UPDATE: When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: December 2023

November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Kellie N. Lego

All of us at MVP Law Group

would like to wish everyone a wonderful and

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2023

Recent Immigrants experience first Thanksgiving at Annual St. Louis Event

by Kellie N. Lego

Hundreds of people in St. Louis, MO, many of them recent immigrants to the United States were invited for a Thanksgiving Dinner, which in some cases was their first taste of this American tradition! The International Institute of St. Louis and other local organizations have been holding this potluck dinner since the 1980s. Krissy Durant, the institute’s director of communications stated, “It’s an opportunity to come together and to have a welcoming atmosphere and to bring everyone together in community whether they’re from the United States, like many of our volunteers are, or whether they are immigrants and to showcase some of the hospitality and welcoming that we have to offer here in St. Louis,”!

For further details please review the St. Louis Post-Dispatch News Article, “Recent immigrants experience first Thanksgiving at annual St. Louis event”.

Source of Information:

November 21, 2023

USCIS Announces Availability of Additional H-2B Visas for Fiscal Year 2024

by Kellie N. Lego

On Thursday, November 16th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), by way of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that a temporary final rule making available an extra 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for (FY) 2024. This addition will be added to the statutory cap of 66,000 H-2B visas allowed per fiscal year. DHS feels it will help U.S. businesses with workforce planning!

Note: The H-2B supplemental includes an allocation of 20,000 visas to workers from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras. *USCIS

For further details please review the USCIS News Release, “USCIS Announces Availability of Additional H-2B Visas for Fiscal Year 2024“.