H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

February 12, 2025

Visa Bulletin – March 2025

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the March 2025 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).

February 11, 2025

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Mississippi, Missouri and Montana – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, 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 AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Mississippi, Missouri and Minnesota!

February 10, 2025

FY 2026 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 7

by Kellie N. Lego

On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 H-1B cap will start Friday, March 7, 2025, and run through March 24, 2025. USCIS stated, “During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary.”

For more details and exact times, review the USCIS News Alert, “FY 2026 H-1B Cap Initial Registration Period Opens on March 7“!

Source of Information:

February 7, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – 2/7/25

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.

How old do I need to be to apply for Naturalization? You must be at least 18 years old to qualify for Naturalization AND you must meet ALL other eligibility requirements. The USCIS has published a helpful brochure, 10 Steps to Naturalization – Understanding the Process of Becoming a U.S. Citizen found here: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/brochures/M-1051.pdf
I was offered a specialty occupation with a non-profit organization, and I appear to be eligible for an H-1B; however, the Lawyer I spoke with told me that the organization does not appear to be eligible to file an H-1B CAP exempt petition with the USCIS. The lawyer did not explain any further. What is the issue? Only certain organizations are eligible to file a CAP EXEMPT H-1B petition with the USCIS. Not every non-profit organization will be eligible to file an H-1B CAP EXEMPT petition. CAP EXEMPT organizations include: Institutions of Higher Education; Nonprofit Organizations Affiliated with Institutions of Higher Education; Government Research Organizations, and Nonprofit Research Organizations focused on applied or basic research.

February 6, 2025

Update – Visa Bulletin – February 2025

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the February 2025 Visa Bulletin

UPDATE: When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: February 2025

February 5, 2025

DHS Terminates the 2023 Designation of Venezuela for TPS

by Kellie N. Lego

The new Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has decided that the conditions in the country of Venezuela no longer support the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for that country. TPS will end in 60 days after the Federal Register publishes the USCIS notice, today dealing with the subject.

For more details, review the USCIS News Alert, “DHS Terminates the 2023 Designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status“!

Source of Information:

February 4, 2025

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, 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 AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota!

February 3, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, February 7, 2025

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 7, 2025. Act now and submit your questions!

January 31, 2025

All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types (FY2024, Qtr. #4) – Statistical Table

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released their fourth quarter, Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) performance data for all Application and Petition Form Types as a statistical table. They have divided the forms by category: Family Based, Employment Based, Humanitarian, Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR) , Citizenship and Naturalization, Other, and Supplement Processing as the rows. The columns are divided by case status: Received, Approved, Denied, Total Completions, Pending, and Process Time. The updated FY2024 statistics (fourth quarter) cover July 2024 through September 2024. Here is the link to the Q4 table, “All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types (Fiscal Year 2024, Quarter 4)“.

Source of Information:

USCIS (USCIS.gov), Immigration and Citizenship Data Webpage:

January 30, 2025

President Trump’s Executive Order – Securing Our Borders – Read it!

by Kellie N. Lego

From Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, until today, President Trump has signed many Executive Orders! One of the orders signed on the first day was, “Securing Our Borders“! It deals with his objective and layouts out his plan related to U.S. immigration.

For more details and to read the Executive Order for yourself, please review the White House link, “Securing Our Borders“!

Source of Information: