U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for May 2011

May

USCIS Proposes Major Changes to the EB-5 Investor Program

Last week, in a press release, USCIS announced a number of significant enhancements to the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. Note that these are proposed changes which are expected to be published on June 17th for public comment and possible implementation at a later date.

May

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 12,300 Regular and 8,500 Masters Cap Visas Used (May 20, 2011)

USCIS released the weekly information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of May 20, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 12,300 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,100 over the last week). Similarly, as of May 20, there were 8,500 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).

May

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 11,200 Regular and 7,900 Masters Cap Visas Used (May 13, 2011)

USCIS released the weekly information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of May 13, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 11,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,000 over the last week). Similarly, as of May 13, there were 7,900 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).

May

Expanded List of STEM-Designated Degree Programs

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced that they have expanded the list of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degree programs. The expanded list includes fields such as Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Mathematics and Computer Science. See the updated list of all STEM degree programs.

May

Diversity Visa (DV) 2012 Lottery Results Voided Due to Computer Glitch

The Department of State (DOS) announced yesterday, May 13th, 2011, that a computer glitch has caused all results of the DV 2012 lottery (also called the “green card lottery”) to be voided. Accordingly, lottery results published earlier on the DV 2012 lottery website are void and those applicants who were “selected” would not be able to apply for a green card based on the earlier (and now void) results. See the official statement.

May

June 2011 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and China Advance; FB1 and FB2B Unchanged

The U.S. State Department just released the June 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the FY2011 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the forward movement in EB-2 India and the continued (but slow) slow forward movement in FB2A (after few significant backward movements).

May

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 10,200 Regular and 7,300 Masters Cap Visas Used (May 6, 2011)

USCIS released the weekly information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of May 6, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 10,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,000 over the last week). Similarly, as of May 6, there were 7,300 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 700 over the last week).

May

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 9,200 Regular and 6,600 Masters Cap Visas Used (April 29, 2011)

USCIS released the weekly information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of April 29, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 9,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 1,200 over the last week). Similarly, as of April 29, there were 6,600 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 700 over the last week).

May

AAO Processing Times (May 1, 2011)

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.

May

Tri-Valley University Update: TVU President Indicted

We have written in the past about the Tri-Valley University and how it affected a high number of F-1 international students by engaging in alleged unlawful practices and immigration fraud. The Tri-Valley University story is worth following because it highlights, from the perspective of the foreign students and nationals, the importance of maintaining good immigration compliance and records, not only with respect to F-1.

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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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