With the shortage of U.S. workers in many STEM fields, H-1B workers are an increasingly vital part of the U.S. workforce. This webinar will address the requirements, processing times and validity periods for H-1B status as...more
The May 2023 Visa Bulletin recently published by the U.S. Department of State, brought some unwelcome news for U.S. employers seeking to sponsor foreign nationals for permanent residency through the employment-based green...more
In a recent post, this blog covered the more-complicated-than-it-seems issue of how someone can best determine exactly when their lawful immigration status in the United States expires. We discussed the matter of how, in some...more
As this blog has touched on from several different perspectives over the years, one perpetual issue facing International Medical Graduates who come to the United States on J-1 exchange visas to engage in residency/fellowship...more
While that question may seem simple enough to answer, in many instances individuals may be mistaken or unaware of when their lawful immigration status in the United States expires. A common answer might be, “When my Visa...more
In a long-awaited effort to address delays and backlogs that have arisen due to consular closures and limited staffing over the last year-and-a-half, on December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it is...more
At a time when health care is critical, physician shortages and other challenges continue to beset the United States. Vacancies and shortages in health care staffing are causing glaring deficiencies in meeting patient needs...more
12/20/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
Healthcare ,
Immigrants ,
J-1 Visas ,
Labor Certifications ,
NAFTA ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
PERM ,
Physician National Interest Waiver (PNIW) ,
Visas
As almost anyone in the healthcare industry can attest, the United States has been experiencing a significant shortage of physicians and other healthcare professionals in many disciplines over the last several years. An...more
The Summer season often brings with it an increase in international travel, as people seek to take vacations, visit family, and attend to business around the world. That norm has been significantly disrupted for the last two...more
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was withdrawing a 2018 proposal to remove the International Entrepreneur (IE) Parole program from DHS regulations, effectively confirming to the public that...more
6/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-2 ,
H-1B ,
International Entrepreneur Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
L-1 Visas ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
Proposed Regulation ,
USCIS ,
Visas
In a welcome reversal of a Trump-era policy decision, on April 27, 2021, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual instructing officers to give...more
On Friday, March 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it may reopen and/or reconsider the denial of previously filed H-1B visa petitions, in cases where the denial was based on one or more...more
In its latest action to reverse Trump-era immigration policies, on February 24, 2021, the Biden Administration rescinded Presidential Proclamation 10014, “Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Present a Risk to the United...more
On November 17, 2020, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Alert, informing stakeholders of an update to its existing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding the discretionary factors...more
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a decision overturning two recent Interim Final Rules promulgated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of...more
12/3/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Specialty Occupations ,
Summary Judgment ,
USCIS ,
Visas
It’s strikingly apparent that the current global pandemic of COVID-19 is impacting travel and visa/immigration processes worldwide. As of right now, all USCIS processing centers for visa petitions remain open and...more
New immigration policy requires all U.S. Consulates to review applicants’ public social media history, past e-mail addresses and recent phone numbers when adjudicating visa applications....more
The denial rate for H-1B petitions spiked through the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 to over five times what the rate was just four years ago. That’s according to a report published by the National Foundation for American...more