H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

April 14, 2015

Reminder to Renew – Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is trying to get the word out, reminding people who are already recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that their current period of DACA and employment authorization could expire if they wait too long to request renewal. USCIS is encouraging them to submit their DACA renewal requests 120 days before their current DACA and employment authorization is set to expire.

In March 2015, USCIS began mailing reminder notices to current DACA recipients reminding them that their initial two-year grant of DACA is expiring, and that they may request a renewal.

*If a current grant of deferred action expires before the applicant receives a renewal of DACA, they will begin to accrue unlawful presence and will not be authorized to work until the EAD renewal is approved.

April 13, 2015

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, April 17, 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 17, 2015. Act now and submit your questions!

April 10, 2015

USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for Fiscal Year 2015

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2015 was reached on Thursday, March 26, 2015.

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 (10/01 – 03/31) and 33,000 for the second half (04/01 – 9/30) for a total of 66,000 H2B visas issued per fiscal year.

Timeline for H-2B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2015:

April 9, 2015

Alternatives to the H-1B Visa for Individuals who did not make the FY2016 H-1B Quota

by Kellie N. Lego

Now that all of the new H-1B visas for the 2016 Fiscal Year have been allocated, What options do Employers who are looking to hire Foreign National Professionals have?

Here are some creative solutions to this problem:

OPT – STEM Extension

April 8, 2015

H-1B Cap (FY 2016) has been reached!

by Kellie N. Lego

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced that they reached the statutory H-1B cap of 65,000 for fiscal year (FY) 2016 within the first week of the filing period. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption.

USCIS stated that they must first finish the initial intake before conducting the random selection process. The date of the selection process has not been set due to the high number of petitions received! USCIS will reject and return filing fees for all cap-subject petitions that are not selected.

USCIS will conduct the advanced degree exemption random selection process first. Any advanced degree petitions not selected will then become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit.

April 7, 2015

Impact of New Americans (2015) – Maine, North Carolina & Ohio

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; Maine, North Carolina & Ohio.

April 6, 2015

REGISTER TODAY for an Online Webinar with USCIS

by Kellie N. Lego

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has invited Stakeholders, and anyone affected by the organization, to an online Webinar on Friday, April 10, 2015 between 12:00pm to 1:00pm (EST). The content of the webinar will be the USCIS online Customer Service Tools including myUSCIS and will include a Q&A.

This newly introduced tool, myUSCIS, allows you to setup an individual online account to view your case status and history for most of the applications and petitions you have filed with USCIS.

Event Information:

April 3, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, April 3, 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 Work Visa

When will the USCIS let us know the status of H-1B FY 2016 Cap Cases?

April 1, 2015

DACA Statistics – DACA Quarterly Report FY2015-Q1

by Kellie N. Lego

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: