H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

February 7, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – 2/7/25

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.

How old do I need to be to apply for Naturalization? You must be at least 18 years old to qualify for Naturalization AND you must meet ALL other eligibility requirements. The USCIS has published a helpful brochure, 10 Steps to Naturalization – Understanding the Process of Becoming a U.S. Citizen found here: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/brochures/M-1051.pdf
I was offered a specialty occupation with a non-profit organization, and I appear to be eligible for an H-1B; however, the Lawyer I spoke with told me that the organization does not appear to be eligible to file an H-1B CAP exempt petition with the USCIS. The lawyer did not explain any further. What is the issue? Only certain organizations are eligible to file a CAP EXEMPT H-1B petition with the USCIS. Not every non-profit organization will be eligible to file an H-1B CAP EXEMPT petition. CAP EXEMPT organizations include: Institutions of Higher Education; Nonprofit Organizations Affiliated with Institutions of Higher Education; Government Research Organizations, and Nonprofit Research Organizations focused on applied or basic research.

February 6, 2025

Update – Visa Bulletin – February 2025

by Kellie N. Lego

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click the link to view the February 2025 Visa Bulletin

UPDATE: When to File Your Adjustment of Status Application for Family-Sponsored or Employment-Based Preference Visas: February 2025

February 5, 2025

DHS Terminates the 2023 Designation of Venezuela for TPS

by Kellie N. Lego

The new Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has decided that the conditions in the country of Venezuela no longer support the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for that country. TPS will end in 60 days after the Federal Register publishes the USCIS notice, today dealing with the subject.

For more details, review the USCIS News Alert, “DHS Terminates the 2023 Designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status“!

Source of Information:

February 4, 2025

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

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; Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota!

February 3, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, February 7, 2025

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, February 7, 2025. Act now and submit your questions!

January 31, 2025

All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types (FY2024, Qtr. #4) – Statistical Table

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released their fourth quarter, Fiscal Year 2024 (FY2024) performance data for all Application and Petition Form Types as a statistical table. They have divided the forms by category: Family Based, Employment Based, Humanitarian, Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR) , Citizenship and Naturalization, Other, and Supplement Processing as the rows. The columns are divided by case status: Received, Approved, Denied, Total Completions, Pending, and Process Time. The updated FY2024 statistics (fourth quarter) cover July 2024 through September 2024. Here is the link to the Q4 table, “All USCIS Application and Petition Form Types (Fiscal Year 2024, Quarter 4)“.

Source of Information:

USCIS (USCIS.gov), Immigration and Citizenship Data Webpage:

January 30, 2025

President Trump’s Executive Order – Securing Our Borders – Read it!

by Kellie N. Lego

From Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, until today, President Trump has signed many Executive Orders! One of the orders signed on the first day was, “Securing Our Borders“! It deals with his objective and layouts out his plan related to U.S. immigration.

For more details and to read the Executive Order for yourself, please review the White House link, “Securing Our Borders“!

Source of Information:

January 29, 2025

USCIS Naturalization Statistics Report – FY2024

by Kellie N. Lego

On the USCIS webpage, “Citizenship Resource Center”, they have published the U.S. Naturalization Statistics for Fiscal Year 2024! This web-based report is made up of graphs and charts explaining U.S. naturalization patterns in statistical forms! In the last ten years, we as a country have welcomed more than 7.9 million naturalized citizens into this country.

For further details please review the USCIS Webpage, “FY 2024 Naturalization Statistics”.

Source of Information:

January 28, 2025

Kristi Noem Sworn in as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

by Kellie N. Lego

On Saturday, January 25, 2025, the United States Senate voted to confirm Kristi Noem as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)! Secretary Noem served as South Dakota’s Governor from January 5, 2019, to January 25, 2025, and was the first female governor of that state.

For more information, please review the DHS News Releases, “PHOTO RELEASE: Kristi Noem Sworn in as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security“ and “US Senate Confirms Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Sweeping Bi-Partisan Vote“!

Source of Information:

January 27, 2025

USCIS Waives COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Adjustment of Status Applicants

by Kellie N. Lego

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective January 22nd that they are waiving all requirements that applicants for adjustment of status to a lawful permanent resident (often called a green card), that they received the COVID-19 vaccination. The USCIS has waived the requirement to prove you received your COVID-19 vaccination!

For more information, please review the USCIS News Alert, “USCIS Waives COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Adjustment of Status Applicants“

Source of Information: