H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

October 28, 2020

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): ID, IL and IN (Update 8-6-20)

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.

October 26, 2020

AAO Processing Times – FY2020 4th Quarter

by Kellie N. Lego

AAO Processing Times – FY 2020 4th Quarter

The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) provides an updated ‘processing times’ in table form, with information on FY2020 third quarterly completions; July 2020 to September 2020. These figures indicate the time that it takes from the date the case is received at AAO coming from the Service Center or District Office to completion.

AAO Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 10/5/20. If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

October 23, 2020

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – October 23, 2020

by Kellie N. Lego

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 – H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa

If I got fired from my job, can I apply for another H-1B visa with a different company?

October 21, 2020

Checking USCIS Processing Times Online

by Kellie N. Lego

You can now check USCIS processing times online at the USCIS web site. All you need to enter is your form number, and the office processing your case. USCIS has made processing times easier to understand and provide a more realistic date range.

Check Case Processing Times

The processing time range is how long it is taking for USCIS to process your type of case from the date they received it. USCIS processes cases in the order they receive them, and they normally update this information monthly. The estimated time range displayed is based on data captured over the last two months.

October 20, 2020

Premium Processing Fee Increase Effective 10/19/20

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday, October 16^th, that they would be increasing fees for premium processing, effective Monday, October 19^th. The USCIS premium processing service allows some petitioners to pay an additional filing fee to expedite the adjudication of certain forms, normally within 15 days.

Fee Increases:

Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, fee increase from $1,440 to $2,500, for all filings except those from petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting H-2B or R-1 nonimmigrant status.

October 19, 2020

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, October 23, 2020

by Kellie N. Lego

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, October 23, 2020. Act now and submit your questions!

October 16, 2020

USCIS Electronic Reading Room – search FOIA documents!

by Kellie N. Lego

USCIS has an online Electronic Reading Room with access to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requested documents. The Reading Room is really a Web-based searchable database of public requested FOIA documents; mixed with USCIS documents that the government decided may have a larger public demand. You can use pull-downs to choose different listed subjects and include any month/year date from January 2011 to the present. You can also type in your own keywords to search.

Please visit this page for more information: Electronic Reading Room

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 10/13/20

by Kellie N. Lego

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 10/13/20

The H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary non-agricultural jobs. There is a cap limit of 33,000 for the first half of the fiscal year and 33,000 for the second half for a total of 66,000 per year. If the cap is not reached during the first half of the fiscal year, the extra numbers are then made available for the second half.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2021 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (10/13/20); 18,273 beneficiaries have been approved and 2,152 are pending for a total of 20,425.

October 13, 2020

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): FL, GA and HI (Update 8-6-20)

by Kellie N. Lego

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; Florida, Georgia and Hawaii!

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.

October 12, 2020

Update – Trump Administration to Impose New Rules Targeting H-1B Visas

by Kellie N. Lego

The Trump administration announced additional immigration reforms on Tuesday, October 6th, making it more difficult for skilled foreign workers to acquire visas, specifically, the H-1b visa. The rule will take effect in 60 days and was done without a public comment period! It was done as an interim final rule (IFR), in order to speed up the process.

Changes made by the new rules:

Narrow the definition of “specialty occupation” by redefining and updating regulations