Headlines: 1. State Dept. Anticipates Visa Number Movement in Some Employment-Based Categories – Forward movement is possible in some employment-based categories in the coming months. 2. USCIS Revises Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker – Starting on May 1, 2015, USCIS will accept only the October 23, 2014, edition of the I-129. 3. Agencies Launch Awareness […]
Headlines: 1. President Announces Thaw in Relations With Cuba – The measures President Obama announced included, among other things, initiating discussions to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, and facilitating an expansion of travel. 2. U.S. District Court Dismisses Sheriff’s Challenge to Obama’s Executive Action – The judge shot down the three main arguments the plaintiff […]
Headlines: 1. States, Governors File Suit Against President’s Executive Actions on Immigration – The lawsuit singles out a directive on expanding deferred action for childhood arrivals for certain individuals who came to the United States as children and creating a new deferred action program for certain parents of U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 2. USCIS […]
Headlines: 1. Obama Takes Executive Action on Immigration – Shortly after the mid-term elections, President Barack Obama initiated several executive actions on immigration. 2. Labor Dept. To Modernize PERM Recruitment and Application Requirements – DOL will review the PERM program and relevant regulations with a goal of updating them. 3. Labor Dept. Establishes Interagency Working […]
Headlines: 1. Following Midterm Elections, Obama Plans Executive Orders on Immigration – President Obama reportedly plans to order several immigration-related changes by the end of this year. 2. U.S., China Extend Short-Term, Business Visa Validity in Reciprocal Arrangement – On November 12, 2014, the United States began issuing visas in accordance with a new reciprocal […]
Headlines: 1. Labor Cert News: Atlanta NPC No Longer Forwarding to BALCA All PERM Requests for Reconsideration; Statistical Updates for FY 2014 Q4; H-1B Legacy Docs No Longer Available – The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) recently announced news on several topics. 2. U.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit Reverses […]
Headlines: 1. SEC Charges Immigration Attorneys With Defrauding Investors Seeking U.S. Residence; SEC-USCIS Issue Joint Alert – SEC and USCIS caution potential EB-5 investors about phony regional centers posing as legitimate investment opportunities. 2. Justice Dept. Settles Lawsuit Against Texas Bus Company for Discrimination – The lawsuit alleged that the company discriminated against U.S. workers […]
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Releases Instructions on Applying for DV-2016 Program – Entries for the DV-2016 DV program must be submitted electronically by noon EST (GMT-5), Monday, November 3, 2014. 2. USCIS Announces New Secure Blue Ink for Many Stamps – USCIS said employers should be aware of this recent change in secure ink color […]
Headlines: 1. Practitioners Warn About Immigration Scams – Scammers use a variety of methods. A call demanding money and threatening negative immigration consequences if it’s not coughed up immediately is a scam, and those receiving such calls should hang up immediately and not provide any information. 2. China EB-5 Category Unavailable Through September; Current in […]
Headlines: 1. DOS Announces Major Developments in Availability of China EB-5 Visa Numbers – Effective immediately, the EB-5 category is “unavailable” for investors born in China. Visa numbers will become available again when the new federal fiscal year starts on October 1, 2014. 2. DOS Changes Fees for Visa and Citizenship Services – DOS is […]