OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING, DELIVERING CUTTING EDGE SOLUTIONS!

The USCIS statistics on DACA cases for the first quarter of FY2014, from 10/1/13 to 12/31/13 show a total of 30,673 DACA requests accepted for processing, 28,679 biometric services appointments scheduled, 47,655 requests approved, and 4,777 requests have been denied.

This DACA Report includes data for FY2012, FY2013 and FY2014 (YTD). The USCIS statistics on DACA cases from 8/12/12 to 12/31/13 show a cumulative total of 610,694 DACA requests accepted for processing, 597,747 biometric services appointments scheduled, 521,815 requests approved, and 15,968 requests have been denied.

The cumulative data also shows the number of accepted and approved requests from the top countries of origin and the top states of residence. Mexico was the top county of origin with 467,982 received to date and 403,302 approved. California was the top state of residence with 174,241 received to date and 153,571 approved.

The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Accountant. Level I.”

After receiving & reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO issued an Audit notification. The Employer responded by sending certain information that the CO requested. In response, the CO informed the Employer that they would need to conduct supervised recruitment. As part of the process, the Employer had to submit a copy of the proposed job advertisement. A week later, the CO approved the advertisement and mailed further recruitment instructions. Over a month later, the Employer sent copies of the Georgia State Workforce Agency’s job order and an in-house job posting, along with copies of its advertisements.

A few months later, the CO told the Employer the recruitment time had concluded. In 30 days, the Employer needed to submit a comprehensive written report about the recruitment process and the results. In a timely manner, the Employer compiled with the request. In the report, the Employer noted it had rejected all US applicants, a few of which because the Employer was unable to communicate with them concerning the advertised position.

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 Green Card

Can same-sex marriages, like opposite-sex marriages, reduce the residence period required for naturalization?

The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Assistant Sports Editor, Al Dia.”

After receiving & reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO issued an Audit notification. He asked the employer to provide documentation of their recruitment process. The Employer submitted copies of print and online job ads. However, the response did not contain any printouts from the employer’s own website.

The CO denied the application declaring that the Employer failed to deliver sufficient documentation to show the Employer used its own website to advertise the job. The Employer did not provide pages from their website that contained the dates the ads were posted online. In addition, the CO believed the Employer unlawfully rejected some US Applicants.

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 3/18/14 with processing dates as of 1/31/14.

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

The Fiscal Year 2015 H-1B season is quickly approaching and has been projected to be yet another short season.

Each Fiscal Year (FY), which starts on October 1, 65,000 H-1B visas become available for what is referred to as the “General Cap,” and 20,000 H-1B visas become available for what is referred to as the “Master’s Cap.” Those individuals holding a U.S. Master’s degree or higher may fall within the Master’s Cap; all others fall within the General Cap. The FY H-1B filing season opens six months before each FY, i.e., during the first week in April.

The FY 2015 H-1B Cap season will open on April 1, 2014 with employment beginning October 1, 2014.

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, March 28, 2014. Act now and submit your questions!

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.

The H-2B cap limit for the first half of FY 2014 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/7/14); 36,957 beneficiaries have been approved and 2,408 are pending for a total of 39,365.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2014 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/7/14); 7,693 beneficiaries have been approved and 7,900 are pending for a total of 15,593.

How does your immigration status affect your eligibility for health care benefits under the

Affordable Care Act (ACA)? Not Sure? USCIS has put together a list of helpful links from www.healthcare.gov website that may help you.

The www.healthcare.gov website includes some helpful resources and they are listed below:

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have alerted Web Users that some of their online customer service tools will not be available Wednesday, March 19 from 9-11 p.m. EST. They will be conducting maintenance on that part of their online system.

The following online tools will not be available on Wednesday, March 19 from 9-11 p.m. EST:

• Check My Case Status • e-Request • e-Filing • Change of Address Online • Check Processing Times • Civil Surgeon Locator

Contact Information