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 […]
Headlines: 1. DOS Makes ‘Significant Progress’ in Bringing Visa Processing Back Online and Clearing Backlogs – DOS said it has caught up with issuances for most of the worldwide backlog of nonimmigrant visa cases and is working to bring the system back to full operational capacity. 2. CBP Announces New Mobile Passport Control App – […]
Headlines: 1. Consular Visa/Passport System Crashes – The Department of State’s Consular Consolidated Database, used to print and approve visas and passports, has been having significant problems, including outages. Backlogs have ensued. 2. August Visa Bulletin Shows Advances in China and ‘Other Workers’ EB-3 Preference Categories, India EB-2 Preference – Cut-off dates for the China-mainland […]
Headlines: 1. White House Requests $3.7 Billion for Border Crisis – As the United States continues to grapple with an influx of undocumented children and others along the southern border, President Obama has requested a $3.7 billion supplemental appropriation to fund related activities. 2. EOIR Interim Rule Addresses ‘Largest Caseload’ in U.S. History With Temporary […]