H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

November 5, 2014

Impact of New Americans – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa & Kansas

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; Illinois, Indiana, Iowa & Kansas.

November 4, 2014

Revised – 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 10/24/14 with processing dates as of 8/31/14.

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)

November 3, 2014

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, November 7, 2014

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, November 7, 2014. Act now and submit your questions!

October 31, 2014

BALCA Says Attempts to Explain NOF Deficiencies Are Almost Certainly Destined to Fail

by Kellie N. Lego

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

After receiving & reviewing an Employer’s Application for Permanent Labor Certification, the CO denied certification of the application for multiple reasons. Most importantly, the Employer did not include their name on their Notice of Filing (NOF) in violation of PERM regulation 656.10(d). PERM regulation 656.17 (f)(1) mandates that the advertisements “name the employer.”

The Employer sent a reconsideration request to the CO. In its argument, the Employer stated the NOF was acceptable regardless of the omission of their name. The Employer argued that public access to its building is limited and it is very plausible that only the company’s three employees would have access to the filing. With its request, the Employer submitted multiple documents including their articles of incorporation; federal tax return; photographs of the facility & bulletin posting area; certifications of accreditation; Florida Resale Certificate for Sales Tax; lease agreements; Google Map print-outs; and Miami.Dade.gov Property Information. With its Reconsideration Request, the Employer relied upon the Stone Tech decision.

October 30, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 10/17/14

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 (10/17/14); 8,670 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,146 are pending for a total of 9,816.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2015 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (10/17/14); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

October 29, 2014

DACA – Updated Frequently Asked Questions

by Kellie N. Lego

On October 17, 2014 the USCIS updated their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) frequently asked questions (FAQs). Reviewing these frequently asked questions is a great way to get a better understanding of the DACA process.

These FAQs cover:

– What is Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals?

October 28, 2014

Impact of New Americans – Florida, Georgia, Hawaii & Idaho

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; Florida, Georgia, Hawaii and Idaho.

October 27, 2014

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times – 10/1/14

by Kellie N. Lego

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 10/1/14.

If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Administrative Appeals Office

October 24, 2014

MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, October 24, 2014

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 Immigration

I am currently awaiting my green card. My spouse’s Green card was approved, yet my case is still pending and I am the primary applicant. Both filed at the same time. My wife’s case was filed as dependent, mine under EB2, Employment based. When do you think I will receive my green card?

October 23, 2014

H-2B Cap Count UPDATE – 10/10/14

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 (10/10/14); 7,790 beneficiaries have been approved and 1,372 are pending for a total of 9,162.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2015 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (10/10/14); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.