H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

February 4, 2016

Impact of New Americans (2015) – North Dakota, Ohio & Oklahoma

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; North Dakota, Ohio & Oklahoma.

February 2, 2016

Upcoming Congressional Hearings on Immigration – February 2016

by Kellie N. Lego

Senate:

February 2, 2016

Committee: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary Title: The Failures and Future of the EB-5 Regional Center Program: Can it be Fixed?

February 1, 2016

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, Feb. 5, 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, February 5, 2016. Act now and submit your questions!

January 28, 2016

Impact of New Americans (2015) – New Mexico, New York & North Carolina

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; New Mexico, New York & North Carolina.

January 27, 2016

USCIS updated FY2015 Performance Data – All Form Types (Qtr. #4)

by Kellie N. Lego

USCIS has released their fourth quarter, Fiscal Year 2015 (FY2015) 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 FY2015 statistics (fourth quarter) cover July 2015 through September 2015. Here is the link to the Q4 table, “All Form Types Performance Data (Fiscal Year 2015, 4th Qtr)“.

Source of Information:

– USCIS.gov, 12/4/15, Table (PDF):

January 26, 2016

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times – 1/1/16

by Kellie N. Lego

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 1/1/16.

If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Administrative Appeals Office

January 25, 2016

Updated Service Center Processing Times (11/30/15)

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 1/12/16 with processing dates as of 11/30/15.

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)

January 22, 2016

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, Jan. 22, 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 – Family Based Immigration

I am a US Citizen and I applied for an Immediate Relative Petition for my husband. How long does the process take to adjust his status?

January 21, 2016

New Law Increases H-1B and L-1 Petition Fees

by Kellie N. Lego

On Friday, December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113). Part of this new law includes fee increases for certain H-1B and L-1 petitioners. These petitioners must submit an additional fee of $4,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $4,500 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions postmarked on or after December 18, 2015.

The additional fees apply to petitioners who employ 50 or more employees in the United States, with more than 50 percent of those employees in H-1B or L (including L-1A and L-1B) nonimmigrant status.

Petitioners must submit the additional fees when filing their H-1B or L-1 petitions for initial grants of status and when a beneficiary is transferring status to a new employer. Extensions of Status are not subject to the additional fees required under Public Law 114-113.

January 20, 2016

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 12/14/15

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 (12/14/15); 12,876 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,359 are pending for a total of 14,235.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2016 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000*. As of the last count (12/14/15); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.