USCIS has instituted a new (and supposedly more streamlined and reliable) process for directing case status inquiries with USCIS service centers. Case status inquiries should be conducted by following these steps: Step 1: Contact the National Customer Service Center (NCSC) at 1-800-375-5283. The NCSC can assist customers, community-based organizations and liaison groups with case related inquiries. [...]
The H-2B filing period for fiscal year 2009 (FY2009) has been reopened by USCIS due to insufficient applications filed under the cap. Accordingly, USCIS accepts immediately new H-2B petitions under the FY2009 cap for starting work date before October 1, 2009. FY2009 H-2B Numbers Are Under the Quota On January 7, 2009, USCIS announced that it has [...]
We have reported previously on the Department of State’s (DOS) efforts to introduce an electronic form (DS-160) for submitting nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application at its consulates around the world. The goal is to have DS-160 replace the paper forms currently used for NIV applications at all U.S. consulates. The DS-160 online NIV application form is being [...]
The September 2009 Visa Bulletin was released by the State Department. The only change, in comparison to the August 2009 Visa Bulletin, is the forward movement in the EB-2 China and India categories which changed from January 1, 2003 to January 8, 2005. All other categories remain unchanged. Here is a summary of the September [...]