U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for July 2011

Jul

University of Northern Virginia (UNVA) Raided by Federal Agents – F-1 Students in Jeopardy

We have many confirmed reports that yesterday, July 28, 2011, the University of Northern Virginia’s (UNVA) campus in Annandale was raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents, seeking and seizing documentation relating to UNVA’s issuance of F-1 foreign student visas and UNVA’s compliance in the F-1 visa program.

Jul

PERM Statistics for FY2011 and Current PERM Processing Times – Significant Increase in PERM Filings; Decrease in PERM Audit Times

The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) at the Department of Labor (DOL) has released selected statistics about the processing of PERM labor certification cases. The statistics and the numbers cover the first eight months of Fiscal Year 2011 – between October 2010 and May 2011.

Jul

Ombudsman Recommends EAD Processing Changes

The USCIS Ombudsman office has released a report and a recommendation to USCIS regarding changing policies with respect to I-765 Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cases.

The Problem

Many employers and individuals who rely on EAD cards for employment find it frustrating that there are no reliable processing times for the EAD cards. For most employment with EAD cards, employment is authorized only when the employee has a valid EAD card. In other words, if an EAD card expires and a renewal is not filed on time (with or without fault of the employee) or if the EAD application takes long time to be approved, then the employee, upon expiration of the EAD card and while waiting for the renewal to be approved, must stop working. This brings a lot of difficulty to employees and employers.

Jul

Diversity Lottery (DV-2012) Status Check Website Now Open

The Department of State has enabled the Status Check website which allows participants in the “green card lottery” to check whether their entry has been selected. At the same time, we wish to note that the Department of State does not notify winners by email so any email notifying of a winning green card lottery entry and asking for payments is likely fraudulent.

Jul

USCIS Launches Processing Statistics Website

USCIS has just announced that they are launching a new website which is intended to provide new data reports covering agency performance in a number of areas. The website can be accessed at http://www.uscis.gov/data/.

Jul

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 20,500 Regular and 12,800 Masters Cap Visas Used (July 15, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of July 15, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 20,500 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 3,100 over previous three weeks). Similarly, as of July 15 , there were 12,800 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 1,500 over the previous three weeks).

Jul

AAO Processing Times (July 1, 2011)

Our office has established a reputation as one of the leading 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.

Jul

USCIS Case Processing Times – Overview and FAQs

As many of our readers and clients are aware, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) provides some tools for applicants to obtain case processing information. The online case status check is one of them.

Jul

August 2011 Visa Bulletin – Forward Movement in EB-2 India/China Continues, Other Workers and FB2A; FB1 Remains Unchanged

The U.S. State Department just released the August 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the eleventh Visa Bulletin for the FY2011 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the continued significant forward movement in EB-2 China, EB-2 India, Other Workers and FB2A categories.

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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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