H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

January 13, 2015

Visa Bulletin – February 2015

The Department of State has released its latest Visa Bulletin.

Click here to view the February 2015 Visa Bulletin

As projected by the U.S. Department of State, the February 2015 Visa Bulletin shows the EB2 date for nationals from India moved from 2/15/05 to 9/1/05; the EB3 date for nationals from India made a small movement from 12/15/03 to 12/22/03; the EB2 for Chinese Nationals moved from 2/1/10 to 3/15/10; the EB3 for Chinese Nationals moved from 3/1/11 to 9/1/11; and EB3 for WW moved from 6/1/13 to 1/1/14; and the F2A category moved from 4/15/13 to 5/8/13, except Mexico which moved from 2/22/13 to 4/22/13. The F2A category is reserved exclusively for Spouses and unmarried children (under the age of 21) of green card holders (LPRs).

January 9, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, January 9, 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 – Employment Based

When should your employer file your I-140 with Premium Processing? Does it significantly speed up the processing times?

January 8, 2015

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 12/26/14

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.

The H-2B cap limit for first half of FY 2015 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/26/14); 18,841 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,729 are pending for a total of 23,570.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2015 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (12/26/14); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,231 are pending for a total of 1,231.

January 7, 2015

Impact of New Americans – Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island & South Carolina

by Kellie N. Lego

Immigration Policy Center Releases Updated State-by-State Fact Sheets (2014)

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 four states at a time. This week we will highlight; Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island & South Carolina.

January 5, 2015

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, January 9, 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, January 9, 2015. Act now and submit your questions!

January 2, 2015

Immigration Q&A Forum – Originally posted 1/17/14

by Kellie N. Lego

This blog entry was originally posted on 1/17/14. We here at the MVP Law Group would like to wish every one of our blog readers, Happy Holidays!

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

January 1, 2015

Happy New Year!

by Kellie N. Lego

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

– Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Year, from our family to yours!

December 31, 2014

A New Year’s Eve Wish!

by Kellie N. Lego

New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate but it is also a time to reflect back on the good and bad times that we have encountered the past year. For the new babies born and the friends and loved ones lost, let’s all take a moment to think of each. We here at MVP Law Group would hope that everyone has a wonderful evening of celebration planned, whether it is in solitude or with loved ones and friends! Our wish is that you are happy and safe!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

December 30, 2014

BALCA Finds Employee’s Letter Sufficient Evidence of Required Skills

by Kellie N. Lego

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

After examining an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO issued an Audit notification ordering the Employer to submit documentation of the Foreign Worker’s knowledge of various programs at the time of hire. The Employer replied to the Audit with a personal statement from the Foreign Worker stating she had the mandatory understanding of these programs. Also included was a letter from the Employer’s Comptroller confirming at the time of hire the foreign worker possessed the minimum requirements for the job position.

The CO sent a denial letter because he believed the Employer failed to provide substantial evidence of the Foreign Worker’s knowledge of the programs (i.e., he wanted documentation – certifications, licenses, a notarized statement.) He cited PERM Regulation 20 CFR 656.20(b) as the authority of his denial, which states, “a substantial failure by the employer to provide required documentation will result in the application being denied.”

December 29, 2014

Immigration Q&A Forum – Originally posted 4/25/14

by Kellie N. Lego

This blog entry was originally posted on 4/25/14. We here at the MVP Law Group would like to wish every one of our blog readers, Happy Holidays!

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 – H4 Dependent Visa