H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

April 6, 2016

Current Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, Remains Effective After 3-31-16

The Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification as published is marked to expire on March 31, 2016. Employers should continue to using Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification until further notice, no replacement has been published. USCIS will provide updates about the new version of Form I-9 as it becomes available.

Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All U.S. employers must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens.

Source of Information:

April 5, 2016

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Georgia, Hawaii & Idaho

by Kellie N. Lego

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; Georgia, Hawaii & Idaho.

April 4, 2016

DACA Statistics – DACA Quarterly Report FY2016-Q1

by Kellie N. Lego

The USCIS statistics on DACA Initial cases for the first quarter of FY2016, from 10/1/15 to 12/31/15 show a total of 16,336 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 13,497 requests approved, and 3,276 requests have been denied.

The USCIS statistics on DACA Renewal cases for the first quarter of FY2016, from 10/1/15 to 12/31/15 show a total of 29,240 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 42,317 requests approved, and 930 requests have been denied.

This DACA Report includes data for FY2012, FY2013, FY2014, FY2015 and FY2016. The USCIS statistics on DACA cases from 8/12/12 to 12/31/15 show a cumulative total of 1,313,332 DACA requests accepted for processing, 1,357,246 biometric services appointments scheduled, 1,198,605 requests approved, and 57,906 requests have been denied.

April 1, 2016

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, April 1, 2016

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 – H1B Nonimmigrant Work Visa

What qualifies an organization as H-1B Exempt?

March 31, 2016

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Connecticut, Delaware & Florida

by Kellie N. Lego

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; Connecticut, Delaware & Florida.

March 30, 2016

USCIS updated FY2016 Performance Data – All Form Types (Qtr. #1)

by Kellie N. Lego

USCIS has released their first quarter, Fiscal Year 2016 (FY2016) performance data for all form types as a statistical table. They have divided the forms by category: Family, Employment, Humanitarian, Citizenship and Naturalization, and Other as the rows. The columns are divided by case status: Received, Approved, Denied, and Pending. These updated FY2016 statistics (first quarter) cover October 2015 through December 2015. Here is the link to the Q1 table, “All Form Types Performance Data (Fiscal Year 2016, 1st Qtr)“.

Source of Information:

– USCIS.gov, 12/4/15, Table (PDF):

March 29, 2016

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 3/24/16

by Kellie N. Lego

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 (3/24/16); 4,065 beneficiaries have been approved and 5,594 are pending for a total of 9,659.

March 28, 2016

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, Apr. 1, 2016

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, April 1, 2016. Act now and submit your questions!

March 24, 2016

USCIS Reaches the H-2B Cap for the First Half of Fiscal Year 2016

by Kellie N. Lego

On Monday, March 21, 2016, USCIS announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap (33,000) for the first half of FY 2016. March 15, 2016 is now the “final receipt date” for cap-subject H-2B worker requesting employment start dates before April 1, 2016. The “final receipt date” is the date on which USCIS determined that it has received enough cap-subject petitions to reach the limit of 33,000 H-2B workers for the first half of FY2016.

USCIS will reject new H-2B petitions that were received after March 15, 2016 and that request an employment start date before April 1, 2016, but there are some exceptions!

The exceptions are listed below:

March 23, 2016

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Arkansas, California & Colorado

by Kellie N. Lego

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; Arkansas, California & Colorado.