H1B Visa Lawyer Blog

September 5, 2025

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – 9/5/25

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.

What are the average processing times for prevailing wages from the Department of Labor (DOL)? As of 09/01/2025 (the last update on the DOL website), they are currently issuing final prevailing wage determinations for initial prevailing wage requests submitted in May 2025.

What are the current processing times for the Labor Certification Application from Department of Labor (DOL)? As of 09/01/2025 (the last update on the DOL website), they are currently issuing certified Labor Applications for initial Form ETA 9089 filed on or before June 2024.

September 4, 2025

2025 USCIS Forms Updates – 8/27 thru 8/29

by Kellie N. Lego

The USCIS Forms Updates web page lists their most recently updated forms. The list includes forms as they publish them and includes a brief explanation for the update.

There are (4) form updates from 8/27/25 through 8/29/25, two for each date! To view these form updates and any others, review the USCIS Web Page: Forms Updates!

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September 3, 2025

USCIS Electronic Reading Room

by Kellie N. Lego

USCIS has an online Electronic Reading Room with access to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requested documents. The Reading Room is really a Web-based searchable database of public requested FOIA documents; mixed with USCIS documents that the government decided may have a larger public demand. You can use pull-downs to choose different listed subjects and include any month/year date from January 2011 to the present. You can also type in your own keywords to search.

Please visit this page for more information: Electronic Reading Room

MVP “Immigration Q & A Forum” – This Friday, September 5, 2025

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, September 5, 2025. Act now and submit your questions!

September 1, 2025

Celebrating Labor Day – Federal Holiday

by Kellie N. Lego

“The basic bargain of America is that no matter who you are, where you come from or what you look like, if you work hard & play by the rules, you can make it.” — Former Dept. of Labor Secretary Tom Perez

The Labor Day holiday in United States is celebrated the first Monday in September. Labor Day was really created by the national labor movements to celebrate the American worker and their achievements, both social and economic! Each of us that work every day, immigrant or citizen, this is our celebration! For more information about the history of Labor Day review the Department of Labor’s (DOL) web page, “History of Labor Day“.

MVP Law Group would like to thank workers worldwide for their contributions to our society!

August 29, 2025

Immigration News – Top News Stories – ICE Detention

by Kellie N. Lego

List of some of the Top News Stories related to “ICE Detention”:

The Nevada Independent (thenevadaindependent.com), 8/27/25, News Article:

Nevada is home to one of the most over-capacity ICE detention centers in the country

August 28, 2025

Fiscal Year 2026 H-2B Cap Count – 8/26/25

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 2026 (October 1 – March 31) is 33,000. As of the last count (8/26/25); 19,346 beneficiaries have been approved and 30,071 are pending for a total of 10,996.

The H-2B cap limit for second half of FY 2026 (April 1 – September 30) is 33,000. As of the last count (8/26/25); 0 beneficiaries have been approved and 0 are pending for a total of 0.

August 27, 2025

AAO Processing Times – FY 2025 3rd Quarter

by Kellie N. Lego

The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) provides an updated ‘processing times’ in table form, with information on FY2025 third quarterly completions; April 2025 to June 2025. These figures indicate the time that it takes from the date the case is received at AAO coming from the Service Center or District Office to completion.

AAO Processing Times were released with processing dates as of 7/17/25. If you filed an appeal, please review the link below to determine the applicable processing time associated with your particular case.

Note: Starting with the January 2017 Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) Processing Times Report, the AAO has changed how it presents processing time data. The AAO will now provide, by form type, the total number of case completions for the fiscal year quarter and the percentage completed within 180 days, cases completed divided by their projected case goal.

August 26, 2025

Wilted Lettuce. Rotten Strawberries. Here’s What Happens When You Round Up Farmworkers

by Kellie N. Lego

California is the largest food producer in the United States, accounting for around 11% of the country agricultural output. The New York Times published an opinion piece/ guest essay, entitled, “Wilted Lettuce. Rotten Strawberries. Here’s What Happens When You Round Up Farmworkers”! This essay was written by Mr. Rivas, Speaker of the California State Assembly and Ms. Douglass, President of the California Farm Bureau and is well written!

For more information, please read the NY Times Opinion, “Wilted Lettuce. Rotten Strawberries. Here’s What Happens When You Round Up Farmworkers“!

Source of Information:

August 25, 2025

Immigrants in each State (fact sheets): Alabama, Alaska and Arizona – Update

by Kellie N. Lego

UPDATE: Explore American Immigration Council’ interactive map to get more comprehensive information on U.S. immigration data and its impact!

The American Immigration Council (AIC) has released all fifty states and the District of Columbia, for a total of fifty-one updated state-by-state fact sheets highlighting immigration data and facts. These fact sheets highlight the demographic and economic impact of Immigrants in each state.

With national immigration policy being discussed, 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 AIC research. Once a week we will be posting a blog with information on three states at a time. This week we will highlight; Alabama, Alaska and Arizona!