Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 4/12/16 with processing dates as of 2/29/16.
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.
Immigration Policy Center Releases Updated State-by-State Fact Sheets (2015)
The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has released all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the United States (Overall), for a total of fifty-two updated fact sheets with accompanying info graphics and other details. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants, Asians and Latinos in each state. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy division of the American Immigration Council (AIC).
As Washington D.C. continues the discussion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, 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 IPC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Illinois, Indiana & Iowa.
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. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.
The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2016 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/15/16) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!
The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2016 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (4/18/16); 19,021 beneficiaries have been approved and 6,346 are pending for a total of 25,367.
Now that all of the new H-1B visas for the 2017 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
Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 4/1/16.
If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.
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 – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
If I returned my work permit for DACA, during the required time period, will I be issued a new one and how soon?
The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.
Click here to view the May 2016 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).
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. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.
The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2016 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/15/16) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!
The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2016 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/31/16); 6,932 beneficiaries have been approved and 7,066 are pending for a total of 13,998.
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, April 15, 2016. Act now and submit your questions!
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced that they reached the statutory H-1B cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2017 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 cap under the advanced degree exemption.
USCIS stated that they must first finish the initial intake before conducting the random selection process. The date of the selection process has not been set due to the high number of petitions received! USCIS will reject and return filing fees for all cap-subject petitions that are not selected.
USCIS will conduct the advanced degree exemption random selection process first. Any advanced degree petitions not selected will then become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit.
H1B Visa Lawyer Blog