H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

November 11, 2015

Honoring our Veterans!

“So if you’re an American, and you see a veteran — maybe with a prosthetic arm or leg, maybe burns on their face — don’t ever look away. Do not turn away. You go up and you reach out, and you shake their hand, and you look them in the eye and you say those words every veteran should hear all the time: “Welcome home, thank you. We need you more than ever. You help us stay strong, you help us stay free.” – President Obama

Excerpt from remarks made by the President of the United States at the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Dedication (10/5/14)

In the United States, Veterans Day is a national holiday which is observed every November 11th. This holiday is set aside to honor all who have served in the U.S. Military.

November 10, 2015

USCIS Updates Welcome Guide for New Immigrants

by Kellie N. Lego

On November 2nd, USCIS announced that they have updated their guide for new immigrants entitled, “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants“. This newly published guide gives practical advice and information to help immigrants settle into life here in the United States. The guide is now available in 14 different languages.

Updates include:

• Revised and updated general information on policies, programs and resources;

November 9, 2015

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, Nov. 13, 2015

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, November 13, 2015. Act now and submit your questions!

November 6, 2015

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 11/2/15

by Kellie N. Lego

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 2016 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (11/2/15); 8,342 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,988 are pending for a total of 10,330.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2016 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (11/2/15); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

November 5, 2015

Pay Your N-400 Application Fee with Your Credit Card

by Kellie N. Lego

You may now use an approved credit card to pay your Application for Naturalization (N-400) fees. You must use the form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transaction, fill it out and place it on top of your N-400 form when filing. There is no additional fee charged for using your credit card to pay for your N-400 fees. Note: USCIS will destroy your Form G-1450 after processing your payment, regardless if your application is accepted or rejected.

Acceptable Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are approved for use. You may also use gift cards with Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover logos.

For more detailed information about this subject please review the USCIS Web Page, “Pay Your N-400 Application Fee with Your Credit Card“.

November 3, 2015

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Alabama, Arizona & California

by Kellie N. Lego

Immigration Policy Center Releases Updated State-by-State Fact Sheets (2015)

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has released all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the United States (Overall), for a total of fifty-two updated fact sheets with accompanying info graphics and other details. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants, Asians and Latinos in each state. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy division of the American Immigration Council (AIC).

As Washington D.C. continues the discussion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, 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 IPC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Alabama, Arizona & California.

November 2, 2015

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated FY2015 Statistics (Fourth Quarter)

by Kellie N. Lego

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2015 statistics (fourth quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2015 statistics (fourth quarter) cover August 2015 through September 2015.

The link to each program factsheet is listed below:

• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics, FY 2015 (fourth quarter)

October 30, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, Oct. 30, 2015

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 – H1B Nonimmigrant Visa

My employer applied for my H1-B. It was approved in Jan 2014. I went to the US in April 2014 and worked there until October 2014. I had to come back to India for a family emergency and had to rejoin our office in India. My employer told me that he had to revoke my H1-B. I am interested to going back to the USA to work for a different employer. Can I just request another employer to file a new H1-B for me?

October 28, 2015

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Virginia, Washington & West Virginia

by Kellie N. Lego

Immigration Policy Center Releases Updated State-by-State Fact Sheets (2015)

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has released all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the United States (Overall), for a total of fifty-two updated fact sheets with accompanying info graphics and other details. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants, Asians and Latinos in each state. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy division of the American Immigration Council (AIC).

As Washington D.C. continues the discussion of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, 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 IPC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Virginia, Washington & West Virginia.

October 27, 2015

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 10/14/15

by Kellie N. Lego

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 2016 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (10/14/15); 6,294 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,663 are pending for a total of 7,957.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2016 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (10/14/15); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.