H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

April 1, 2015

DACA Statistics – DACA Quarterly Report FY2015-Q1

The USCIS statistics on DACA Initial cases for the first quarter of FY2015, from 10/1/14 to 12/31/14 show a total of 24,696 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 30,122 requests approved, and 6,325 requests have been denied.

The USCIS statistics on DACA Renewal cases for the first quarter of FY2015, from 10/1/14 to 12/31/14 show a total of 118,550 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 125,690 requests approved, and 66 requests have been denied.

This DACA Report includes data for FY2012, FY2013, FY2014 and FY2015. The USCIS statistics on DACA cases from 8/12/12 to 12/31/14 show a cumulative total of 962,155 DACA requests accepted for processing, 933,335 biometric services appointments scheduled, 787,068 requests approved, and 38,668 requests have been denied.

March 31, 2015

USCIS Teleconference – CAM Refugee/Parole Program – 3/31/15

by Kellie N. Lego

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) will be holding a teleconference on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 between 2:00pm to 3:30 pm (EST). The subject of the event will be the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee/Parole Program and will include Q&A.

The CAM program provides certain children in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras with a safe, legal, and orderly alternative to the dangerous and costly journey that some children are taking to the United States. For more details on this program please review the link, “In-Country Refugee/Parole Processing for Minors in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala (Central American Minors – CAM)“.

Event Information:

March 30, 2015

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, April 3, 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, April 3, 2015. Act now and submit your questions!

March 26, 2015

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Florida, Georgia & Iowa

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; Florida, Georgia & Iowa.

March 25, 2015

Updated Service Center Processing Times

by Kellie N. Lego

Processing Time reports for all of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) Service Centers were released on 3/6/15 with processing dates as of 1/31/15.

If you filed a petition with one of the Service Centers, please review the links below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

California Service Center (CSC)

March 24, 2015

Reminder – FY2016 H1B CAP – Another Very Short Season Expected

by Kellie N. Lego

The Fiscal Year 2016 H-1B season is quickly approaching and has been projected to be another short season. The H1B CAP for FY2015 was reached on April 7, 2014.

Each Fiscal Year (FY), which starts on October 1, 65,000 H-1B visas become available for what is referred to as the “General Cap,” and 20,000 H-1B visas become available for what is referred to as the “Master’s Cap.” Those individuals holding a U.S. Master’s degree or higher may fall within the Master’s Cap; all others fall within the General Cap. The FY H-1B filing season opens six months before each FY, i.e., during the first week in April.

The FY 2016 H-1B Cap season will open on April 1, 2015 with employment beginning October 1, 2015.

March 23, 2015

Round-Up of Immigration Related Legislation (Jan-Feb2015)

by Kellie N. Lego

The following immigration related bills were introduced into the House of Representatives and the Senate January 2015 through February 2015.

Pending Legislation:

Senate Bills

March 20, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, March 20, 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 – General

What is the Visa Waiver Program? Is Portugal included in the VWP?

March 19, 2015

USCIS Resumes H-2B Adjudications – Premium Processing Remains Suspended!

by Kellie N. Lego

On Tuesday, March 17th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resumed adjudication of H-2B Visa petitions! They announced that they would continue the suspension on H-2B premium processing until further notice. Premium Processing is a service which for an added cost can be used to expedite processing of certain employment-based petitions and applications, such as an H-2B Visa petition.

On March 16, 2015 the Department of Labor (DOL) requested and was granted a stay of the March 4th order of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Perez v. Perez until April 15. That order vacated DOL’s H-2B regulations on the grounds that DOL had no authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to issue them.

Please review the link to USCIS News Alert, “USCIS Resumes H-2B Adjudications; Premium Processing Remains Suspended” for more information and for more background information, view our blog post, “USCIS Temporarily Suspends Adjudication of H-2B Petitions As of 3/5/2015“.

March 18, 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.