On April 5, 2013, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, for the first time since 2008, the H-1B cap for FY 2014 had been met within the first week of the filing period. According to the agency, it...more
4/9/2013
- H-1B USCIS Visa Caps Visas
As we reported in the December 2012/January 2013 issue of the Immigration eAuthority, the filing period for “new” H-1B petitions to be counted against the annual H-1B quota (the “H-1B cap”) for FY 2014 begins on Monday, April...more
3/12/2013
- H-1B Visa Caps Visas
According to a final regulation, published on January 3, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has established a new process for certain individuals to apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers...more
1/18/2013
- Green Cards Unlawful Presence Waivers USCIS Visas Waivers
In three separate decisions issued on August 20, 2012, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, applying the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. United States, held that key provisions of state immigration laws passed...more
11/19/2012
- Preemption State Immigration Laws
Under the terms of an agreement simplifying the U.S.-Russia bilateral visa program, American and Russian travelers for business or tourism are now eligible to receive three-year, multiple-entry visas authorizing stays for up...more
11/1/2012
- Bilateral Visa Program Business Visas Visas
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has indicated that it will further expand its use of “integrity” measures in the permanent labor certification program. These measures include the conduct of audit investigations and...more
11/1/2012
- Audits DOL Enforcement PERM Visas
The application period for the Department of State’s (DOS) Diversity Visa (DV) (“green card”) lottery for Fiscal Year 2014 began on October 2, 2012. Interested persons have until 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time on November...more
11/1/2012
- Department of State Diversity Green Cards Visas
In July 2012, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, agreed to lift his hold on the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) that was passed by the U.S. House of...more
9/18/2012
- DOL Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act H-1B LCA Visas
The initiative to defer the deportation of eligible young persons without lawful immigration status was officially implemented on August 15, 2012, when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting...more
9/14/2012
- Deferred Action DHS Dream Act USCIS
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed significant changes to the Labor Condition Application (LCA), ETA Form 9035 and related forms for H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa petitions. The LCA, which is submitted online...more
9/13/2012
- DOL E-3 H-1B H-1B1 LCA
On August 13, 2012, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9, the form that must be completed by all employers to verify the employment eligibility...more
9/12/2012
- I-9 USCIS
In recent weeks, employers nationwide have been ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to submit their I-9 employment eligibility forms and other documents for inspection. In the last week of May, a new round of...more
7/9/2012
- Audits Enforcement I-9 ICE
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of June 11, 2012, it had received enough H-1B cap-subject petitions to reach the annual 65,000 “regular cap” limit. On June 7, 2012, USCIS also...more
7/9/2012
- H-1B USCIS Visas
