OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING, DELIVERING CUTTING EDGE SOLUTIONS!

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USCIS announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap (33,000) for the first half of FY 2019. December 6, 2018 is now the “final receipt date” for cap-subject H-2B worker requesting employment start dates before April 1, 2019. The “final receipt date” is the date on which USCIS determined that it has received enough cap-subject petitions to reach the limit of 33,000 H-2B workers for the first half of FY2019.

USCIS will reject new H-2B petitions that were received after December 6, 2018 and that request an employment start date before April 1, 2019, but there are some exceptions!

The exceptions are listed below:

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The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the January 2019 Visa Bulletin

The monthly Visa Bulletin has changed. The bulletin now summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during the reported month for: “Application Final Action Dates” (consistent with prior Visa Bulletins) and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center using Consular Processing (outside of the US) or file on their own with USCIS Form I-485 (within the US).

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MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create an attorney-client relationship between us. Therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.

Question #1 – Family Based Immigration

I am marrying a United States citizen in two weeks; do you know when I can expect to have my interview to change my status?

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The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the decision of a Certifying Officer (CO) to deny labor certification for the position of “Travel Agent.”

After receiving & reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO issued an Audit notification. It required the Employer to present the notice of filing documentation. The Employer sent back a copy of the Notice of Filing (NOF).

The CO denied the application for multiple reasons. He stated that the employer did not name the location of where the NOF was posted, as a result, they violated PERM regulation 20 C.F.R. 656.10 (d) (1) (ii). This regulation requires that “the NOF must be posted at employer’s facility or location in two conspicuous places where the employer’s US workers can readily read the posted notice on their way to or from their place of employment.” The regulations also provide that “the documentation requirement may be satisfied by providing a copy of the posted notice and stating where it was posted.”

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The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, we thought that it would be a good time to provide some statistics on the Immigrant population in the United States as provided by this AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Iowa, Kansas and Kentucky!

The AIC has compiled research which shows that Immigrants are an essential part of each of these states’ economy, labor force and tax base. As our economy continues to grow, Immigrants and their children are a growing economic and political force as consumers, taxpayers and entrepreneurs. As United States economic continues to grow, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in shaping the economic and political future of each of these states.

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We wanted to find a new way to engage our reader base. Every other Friday, we will post the ten (10) best/most frequently asked questions received during the week from our h1bvisalawyerblog, Facebook, and Twitter readers. We will answer those questions and provide the Q&A on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.

If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, DREAMers, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, priority dates, the monthly visa bulletin, adjustment applications, etc., please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.

Our next “Q & A Forum” will take place this Friday, January 11, 2019. Act now and submit your questions!

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The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, we thought that it would be a good time to provide some statistics on the Immigrant population in the United States as provided by this AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Idaho, Illinois and Indiana!

The AIC has compiled research which shows that Immigrants are an essential part of each of these states’ economy, labor force and tax base. As our economy continues to grow, Immigrants and their children are a growing economic and political force as consumers, taxpayers and entrepreneurs. As United States economic continues to grow, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in shaping the economic and political future of each of these states.

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As of October 1st, the USCIS has increased the Premium Processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers. The Premium Processing fee has increased from $1,225 to $1,410, an increase of about 15%. The government stated there has been no increase in this fee since 2010 and is needed to modernize the system.

The USCIS Chief Financial Officer, Joe Moore stated, “Because premium processing fees have not been adjusted since 2010, our ability to improve the adjudications and service processes for all petitioners has been hindered as we’ve experienced significantly higher demand for immigration benefits.”

For further details please review the USCIS News Release, “USCIS Adjusting Premium Processing Fee“.

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A national day of mourning has been declared by President Donald Trump for Wednesday, December 5th! This day has been set aside to mourn and remember the life of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices will be closed Wednesday, along with all federal government offices. USCIS will reschedule all activities set for that day.

USCIS offices will be closed Wednesday, December 5, 2018

 
Source of Information:

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