U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for September 2010

Sep

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 39,600 Regular and 14,400 Masters Cap Visas Used (September 24, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of September 24, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 39,600 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,300 over the past week). Similarly, as of September 24, there were 14,400 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 400 over the past week).

Sep

Increase in USCIS Filing Fees Goes Into Effect on November 23, 2010

We wrote earlier in the summer about USCIS’ plans and proposed rule to increase certain filing fees. The final rule was published a few days ago in the Federal Register and the new increased filing fees are set to go into effect on November 23, 2010.

Sep

Visa Bulletin Predictions and Updates from Charles Oppenheim

» Update 10/27/2011: See the more recent October 26, 2011 predictions by Charles Oppenheim.

Yesterday our office attended a American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) discussion session here in Washington, DC with Charles Oppenheim. Mr. Oppenheim is the Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division at the U.S. Department of State. For many, he is simply known as the person responsible for the monthly and annual visa number allocations for family- and employment-based green cards. He is also the person who prepares and publishes the monthly visa bulletin which is highly anticipated every month.

Sep

DV-2012 Diversity Visa (Green Card) Lottery Opens October 5, 2010

The Department of State will open the DV-2012 Diversity Visa (a.k.a. “green card”) lottery on Thursday, October 5, 2010. The entries for this year’s lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Thursday, October 5, 2010, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Wednesday, November 3, 2010.

Sep

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 38,300 Regular and 14,000 Masters Cap Visas Used (September 17, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of September 17, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 38,300 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 900 over the past week). Similarly, as of September 17, there were 14,000 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 300 over the past week).

Sep

Citizenship and Naturalization Numbers for FY2009

Our office continues to handle an increasing number of naturalization and citizenship applications so it is interesting to share with our clients and readers some recent numbers on the citizenship statistics for Fiscal Year 2009 (FY2009).

Sep

ASC Biometrics Notice Codes

Our office often receives inquiries by clients about a piece of information displayed on the ASC Appointment Notices issued for the purpose of capturing biometrics. Our clients are asking us what is the meaning of the “Code” field, found in the top right part of the ASC Appointment Notice.

Sep

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 37,400 Regular and 13,700 Masters Cap Visas Used (September 10, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of September 10, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 37,400 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 800 over the past week). Similarly, as of September 10, there were 13,700 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 300 over the past week).

Sep

IT Consulting Firms Lose Neufeld Memo Lawsuit

We have previously written extensively about the January 2010 Neufeld Memorandum and the lawsuit filed earlier this year challenging its validity. This lawsuit has been of great interest to most of our clients as the Neufeld memorandum created some new requirements applicable not only to IT consulting companies but to most, if not all, H-1B employers.

Sep

October 2010 Visa Bulletin – First Bulletin for the Fiscal Year: Minor Forward Movement

The U.S. State Department just released the October 2010 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the new FY2011 fiscal year. As always, the first Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year is anticipated to suggest possible trends of movement of the visa numbers over the next months, especially following the past Visa Bulletins’ forward movement.

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Testimonial B.T., U.S. (December 27, 2011). "Thank you kindly for your excellent service throughout the entire [employment-based green card] process. I have been so impressed and grateful for your clear and timely communication. You are very well organized and knowledgeable about the entire [...] process. We always felt you were representing us well and moving us through all of the requirements in a very expeditious and professional manner."
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