U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for December 2010

Dec

How to Request Return of Original Documents from USCIS

Our office is often approached and asked to assist in obtaining the return of original documents submitted to USCIS as part of a petition or an application. Normally and for most types of documents, USCIS accepts a copy of the original document in lieu of the original. Unless specifically instructed and required, only clear copies of the documents should be submitted as part of a USCIS application package.

Dec

U.S. Immigration on the Rise Again

It is normal that during recession, western economies are not so attractive to any kind of immigration as they are during boom times. The U.S. is no exception. A recent report by the Brookings Institution has confirmed that the number of immigrants in the U.S. was estimated to have risen by about a half a million in the year that ended in 2009, a jump over the year prior when inbound immigration almost stopped during the recession.

Dec

USCIS Suspends Form I-129 Export Control Questions Temporarily

USCIS has just announced that petitioners will not be required to complete Part 6 of Form I-129 containing the export controls/ITAR questions until February 20, 2011. In a response to stakeholder inquiries and concerns of proper implementation, USCIS has agreed to the delay in implementation in order to give petitioners time to establish the necessary internal processes to properly satisfy the attestation requirements.

Dec

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 53,900 Regular and 19,700 Masters Cap Visas Used (December 17, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of December 17, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 53,900 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,500 over the last week). Similarly, as of December 17, there were 19,700 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 600 over the last week).

Dec

Happy Holidays!

We would like to express our gratitude for your support throughout this year and for making it a special one for us and to wish you the happiest of holidays!

We are looking forward to working with you during the new year and we wish you a prosperous, happy and joyous New Year 2011.

More on the January 2011 Visa Bulletin Family Categories Retrogression

We were among the first to report and send bulletin alerts last Thursday of the upcoming January 2011 Visa Bulletin major retrogression in most of the family-based preference categories. Our office has been inundated with inquiries from existing and new clients not only on the steps that should be taken over the next couple of weeks but also on the reasons for the (surprising and) significant retrogression. We are happy to address the reasons in a separate article to provide more clarity on what is to be expected.

Dec

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 52,400 Regular and 19,100 Masters Cap Visas Used (December 10, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of December 10, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 52,400 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,200 over the last week). Similarly, as of December 10, there were 19,100 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 400 over the last week).

Dec

January 2011 Visa Bulletin – Major Retrogression in FB; Minor Forward Movement in EB; No Movement for EB-2 India Again

The U.S. State Department just released the January 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the fourth Visa Bulletin for the FY2011 fiscal year and first for the calendar year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the major retrogression in family-based visa numbers, accompanied by the continued slow forward movement across the employment-based categories. The retrogression in family-based categories is a surprise following recent comments by the State Department that family-based categories (especially 2A) should continue to move forward.

Dec

AAO Processing Times Report (December 1, 2010)

Our office has established a reputation as one of the premier practices for handling appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) and we often receive inquiries not only about about the procedural aspects of an AAO appeal but also about the current processing times for AAO cases. The AAO processing times are published monthly, at the beginning of the month, and we are providing monthly updates and analysis for the benefit of our clients and readers.

Dec

FY2011 H-1B Numbers Update – 51,200 Regular and 18,700 Masters Cap Visas Used (December 3, 2010)

USCIS released the weekly FY2011 information on the numbers of cap-subject H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of December 3, 2010, USCIS has received approximately 51,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 800 over the last Thanksgiving week). Similarly, as of December 3, there were 18,700 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 300 over the last Thanksgiving week).

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Client Testimonials

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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