U.S. Immigration Attorneys and Counselors

Archive for October 2011

Oct

Visa Bulletin Predictions and Updates from Charles Oppenheim (October 26, 2011)

Our office just came back from a 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.

Oct

USCIS to Issue Redesigned Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Cards

USCIS has announced that effective October 30, 2011, it would issue redesigned Employment Authorization Document Cards (also known as “EAD” or “work permit” cards ) The redesign is mainly driven to incorporate new security features to deter counterfeiting, tempering and document fraud, generally.

Oct

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 46,200 Regular Cap Visas Used; Master’s Cap Reached (October 21, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of October 21, 2011, USCIS has received approximately46,200 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 2,900 over the previous week). Similarly, as of October 21, there were 20,000 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit.

Oct

Does Change in H-1B Work Location Require an H-1B Amendment, in Addition to a New LCA?

Our office handles a substantial number of H-1B work visa petitions for a variety of U.S. employers and we often share our direct experiences with the H-1B work visa program. This article is intended to share our experience with H-1B work visa petitions where there is a change of the job location once the H-1B work visa petition has been approved and during its validity.

Oct

ICE Deportations for FY2011 Hit Record Number

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced yesterday that for the fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) which ended September 30, 2011, ICE has deported a record number of individuals.

In FY 2011 ICE’s Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations removed 396,906 individuals — the largest number in the agency’s history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors — an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence. ICE achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ICE’s removals fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators.

Oct

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 43,300 Regular and 19,500 Masters Cap Visas Used (October 14, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of October 14, 2011, USCIS has received approximately43,300 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 2,300 over the previous week). Similarly, as of October 14, there were 19,500 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 400 over the previous week).

Oct

FY2012 H-1B Numbers Update – 41,000 Regular and 19,100 Masters Cap Visas Used (October 7, 2011)

USCIS just released the information on the numbers of cap-subject FY2012 H-1Bs filed since April 1. As of October 7, 2011, USCIS has received approximately41,000 H-1B petitions counting toward the 65,000 cap (an increase of 4,700 over the previous two weeks). Similarly, as of October 7, there were 19,100 H-1B visas filed subject to the U.S. Masters cap which has 20,000 limit (an increase of about 1,400 over the previous two weeks).

Oct

AAO Processing Times (October 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 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.

Oct

November 2011 Visa Bulletin – EB-2 India and China Advance by Three and a Half Months; Slow Movement in EB-3; FB1 Advances Again; Moderate Movement in FB2A

The U.S. State Department just released the November 2011 Visa Bulletin which is the second 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.

Oct

Update on DOL Prevailing Wage Determinations

Many of our clients and readers are asking us on updates regarding the Department of Labor’s (DOL) prevailing wage determination process. We are happy to report that according to DOL reports and according to our first-hand experience, prevailing wage determinations are issued and they are (slowly) starting to return to normal.

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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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