H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

April 2, 2013

USCIS Revises Public Hours of National Customer Service Center

The USCIS National Customer Service Center (NCSC) is introducing new public hours of operation for their toll-free number at 800-375-5283. Effective immediately, USCIS will eliminate Saturday hours of operation. Beginning April 1, the NCSC will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, in all four time zones in the contiguous United States. This adjustment will allow USCIS to better serve customers during peak contact hours and respond more quickly to customer needs.

As always, customers can check the status of their case, change their address, or submit an e-request 24 hours a day by visiting www.uscis.gov. In the coming months, USCIS plans to launch a number of additional customer service enhancements to further improve the quality of their customer service.

To summarize, the USCIS NCSC will be reducing their call in hours on their live customer service line, Monday through Friday by two hours and eliminating Saturday hours.

April 1, 2013

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 3/22/13 with processing dates as of 1/31/13.

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

March 29, 2013

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, March 29, 2013

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 – H-1B Nonimmigrant Work Visa

Are applicants with Master Degree’s given preference when filing for an H-1B under the yearly Cap?

March 28, 2013

Will premium processing increase the chances of making the H-1B quota?

by Kellie N. Lego

Filing an H-1B petition requesting premium processing will not increase the chances of obtaining an H-1B under the quota. If you request premium processing and the case is accepted for processing, the 15 day premium processing window will start on April 15, 2013, according to the USCIS press release issued 3/15/2013. Please note that one perceived benefit of filing a cap subject H-1B petition with a request for premium processing is that a receipt notice may be issued faster than if filed under regular processing. Therefore, the petitioner and beneficiary may confirm sooner that the petition has been chosen in the lottery.

Source of Information: AILA.org web site

View the links below for more detail on the subject:

March 27, 2013

“Path to Citizenship” – Senate Plan proposes time periods

by Kellie N. Lego

The Bipartisan “Gang of Eight” Senators working on Immigration Reform have proposed a “Path to Citizenship” for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this nation. After qualifying, they would have to wait ten (10) years for a Green Card and another three (3) years to be eligible for citizenship. The overall time period of thirteen (13) years is the same as the President’s proposal, but President Obama’s proposal would have them wait eight (8) years for a Green Card and five (5) years for citizenship. In both situations, the undocumented immigrants would be required to pay penalties, file back taxes and learn English. Please read the article linked here for more details, “A Senate Plan Alters Waiting Periods for Immigration“.

MVP Law Group would like our blog readers to email us with your own questions or comments about Immigration Reform. We may include them in future blog posts on the subject! Remember, MVP Law Group always invites Immigration related questions for our bimonthly Immigration Q&A Forum!

View the links below for more detail on the subject:

March 26, 2013

H-1B cap opens April 1st

by Kellie N. Lego

Don’t forget, MVP Law Group has been accepting cap-subject H1B cases since the beginning of February 2013. Although cap-subject cases cannot be filed before April 1st, there is work to be done preparing a good case for filing. All of this work must be done in advance, so that the H1B petition package can be filed as early as permitted under the law. By beginning early, it is possible to avoid some of the rush and panic that inevitably sets in right before April 1st and lasts until the cap is reached. With the U.S. economy improving and the history of the H1B cap, this could prove to be a short filing season. Contact MVP Law Group and let’s get started!

Note: The H-1B cap for FY2013 was reached by June 11, 2012!

MVP Immigration Blog (1/8/13) Post:

March 25, 2013

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, March 29, 2013

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, March 29, 2013. Act now and submit your questions!

March 22, 2013

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 3/15/2013

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.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2013 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/15/2013); *41,820 beneficiaries have been approved and 679 are still pending for a total of *42,499.

The H-2B cap limit for the second half of FY 2013 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (3/15/2013); 12,314 beneficiaries have been approved and 3,864 are pending for a total of 16,178.

March 21, 2013

DACA Statistics – USCIS Update through 3/14/13

by Kellie N. Lego

These USCIS statistics on DACA cases from 8/15/12 to 3/14/13 show a total of 453,589 DACA requests accepted for processing, 442,041 biometric services appointments scheduled, and 245,493 requests approved.

The data also shows the number of accepted requests from the top ten countries of origin and the top ten states of residence. Mexico was the top county of origin with 338,334 received to date. California was the top state of residence with 128,412 received to date.

View the (.PDF) USCIS Report, “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process (March, 2013)“

March 20, 2013

USCIS to Accept H-1B Petitions for Fiscal Year 2014 on April 1, 2013

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday, March 15th that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 cap on Monday, April 1, 2013. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked.

The cap (the numerical limitation on H-1B petitions) for FY 2014 is 65,000. In addition, the first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals with U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the fiscal year cap of 65,000.

USCIS stated that it is possible that the H-1B cap will be met in the first 5 business days! Also be advised that premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions will begin on April 15, 2013. See the USCIS’s Premium Processing section for more details.