H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

February 6, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, February 6, 2015

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

If I applied for H-1B under last year’s Cap but did not get selected, can I re-apply this year?

February 4, 2015

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 1/26/15

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 2015 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/26/15) this first half cap count has been reached. Please read USCIS update below!

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2015 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (1/23/15); 2,156 beneficiaries have been approved and 4,862 are pending for a total of 7,018.

February 3, 2015

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

by Kellie N. Lego

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2015 statistics (first quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2015 statistics (first quarter) cover October 2014 through December 2014.

The link to each program factsheet is listed below:

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

February 2, 2015

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, February 6, 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, February 6, 2015. Act now and submit your questions!

January 30, 2015

Expanded DACA will be available February 18, 2015

by Kellie N. Lego

President Obama announced a new series of executive actions related to Immigration on November 20, 2014. The first part of these executive actions, (Expanded) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will be available beginning February 18, 2015. The USCIS will begin accepting applications on 2/18/2015 and not any time before. Below is a summary of USCIS’s guidelines for the new program.

(Expanded) Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program

Who

January 29, 2015

Impact of New Americans – District of Columbia & United States (Overall)

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. This is the last week of this group of blog posts. This week we will highlight the last two: the District of Columbia and the United States (Overall).

January 28, 2015

DACA Statistics – DACA Quarterly Report FY2014-Q4

by Kellie N. Lego

The USCIS statistics on DACA Initial cases for the fourth quarter of FY2014, from 7/1/14 to 9/30/14 show a total of 26,995 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 29,120 requests approved, and 8,630 requests have been denied.

The USCIS statistics on DACA Renewal cases for the fourth quarter of FY2014, from 7/1/14 to 9/30/14 show a total of 105,470 DACA requests accepted for processing, (N/A) biometric services appointments scheduled, 22,393 requests approved, and D* requests have been denied.

This DACA Report includes data for FY2012, FY2013 and FY2014. The USCIS statistics on DACA cases from 8/12/12 to 9/30/14 show a cumulative total of 818,050 DACA requests accepted for processing, 778,738 biometric services appointments scheduled, 632,855 requests approved, and 32,400 requests have been denied.

January 27, 2015

Talking to Kids about US Immigration

by Kellie N. Lego

Guest Blogger: Melodie Hagner-Salava

As a Mom of an 11 Year old daughter, I frequently find myself in discussions with her about topics that appear on the news. Since the Immigration Crisis and Obama’s Executive Action had flooded the screens, I am sure I am not the only parent has fielded questions from their child about these issues. Unlike some parents, I am lucky enough to have more knowledge on the subject than most. However, it is still nice to able to have other resources to aid me in my discussions. I also want to make sure I am explaining things on her age and grade level.

During one of my Google searches, I came across an article that was published in the January issue of Time magazine on the subject of talking to children about immigration. The article recommended guidance for three different age groups, Elementary, Middle and High Schools, from William Perez, Professor of Education at Claremont Graduate University and author of the book “Americans By Heart: Undocumented Latino Students and the Promise of Higher Education.” Perez feels one of the most important ideas for all kids to understand that immigration didn’t stop at Ellis Island and it continues every day in our country.

January 26, 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 1/12/15 with processing dates as of 11/30/14.

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)

January 23, 2015

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, January 23, 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 – Conditional Permanent Residence

How do I remove my conditions on my Conditional Green Card?