U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for September 2011

Sep

U.S. Consulate in Mumbai Resumes H and L Visa Processing

The Department of State has announced that as of August 26, 2011, the U.S. Consulate in Mumbai would resume processing of H and L visa stamp applications. The earliest appointments available were for September 6, 2011 and as of today, the Consulate is in normal processing mode.

Sep

DV-2013 Diversity Visa (Green Card) Lottery Opens October 4, 2011

The Department of State will open the DV-2013 Diversity Visa (a.k.a. “green card”) lottery on Tuesday, October 4, 2011. The entries for this year’s lottery must be submitted electronically between noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Tuesday, October 4, 2011, and noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5), Saturday, November 5, 2011.

Sep

H-1B SSN Audit Report: Substantial Percentage of H-1B SSN Cases May Involve Fraud

In a September 2011 audit report on the use of Social Security Numbers (SSNs) by H-1B temporary workers, the Office of Inspector General (OIC) claims that a substantial percentage of H-1B cases may involve some amount of irregularity or fraud. OIG based its review on a random sample of 200 H-1B cases from the 38,546 H-1B workers to whom the Social Security Administration (SSA) had issued SSNs in 2007. The review period includes SSA reports for the period between 2007 and 2009.

Sep

FY2011 Employment-Based Visas Limit Reached: No New Green Card Approvals Until October 1

The Department of State (“DOS”), in an “urgent” alert dated as of September 15, 2011, has advised that due to heavy demand in the employment-based immigrant visa categories, DOS has reached the Fiscal Year 2011 annual limit of employment-based green cards.

Sep

Current PERM Processing Times (as of August 22, 2011)

Our office handles a substantial number of ETA Form 9089 – Permanent Labor Certification (“PERM”) applications and we are closely monitoring the current PERM processing times not only for the benefit of our clients but also to be able to predict longer-term trends in PERM processing.

Sep

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 32,200 Regular and 16,700 Masters Cap Visas Used (September 9, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of September 9, 2011, USCIS has received approximately 32,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 3,200 over the previous two weeks). Similarly, as of September 9, there were 16,700 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 900 over the previous two weeks).

Sep

October 2011 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and China Advance by Three Months; Slow Movement in EB-3; FB1 Finally Advances; Moderate Movement in FB2A

The U.S. State Department just released the October 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the FY2012 fiscal year. The major headline in the upcoming month’s bulletin is the significant forward movement in EB-2 India and China and the forward movement in FB1.

Sep

Immigration Live Chat Returns September 15, 2011 at 9 pm eastern

After a summer break, the immigration live chat returns next Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 9 pm eastern time. Please join us on Thursday to ask questions or discuss recent developments relating to immigration.

Sep

Overview of N-400 Naturalization Interview and Test

Our practice handles a number of N-400, Application for Naturalization, cases for U.S. lawful permanent residents seeking to obtain U.S. citizenship. In addition to preparing and filing a complete Form N-400 application with USCIS and submitting to a biometrics appointment, the N-400 naturalization process includes a personal interview and a naturalization test.

Sep

Foreign F-1 Students and Program Statistics

As the new school year is underway at many colleges and universities across the U.S., it is interesting to share some statistics and profiles relating to the F-1 foreign student visa program. The data has been released from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) as of June 30, 2011. As of June 30, 2011, there were 10,364 SEVIS-approved schools and 784,481 active F-1 students.

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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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