It’s official! USCIS has completed the data entry for all H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in the lottery. It has now begun to adjudicate petitions. The petitions not selected and the related USCIS’ filing fees will be returned in a few months. Since there are so...
Since Trump took office in 2017, there has been a sharp increase in audits to verify that employees are authorized to work in the United States. And there are plans to further increase the pressure on employers. Employers who are found to be noncompliant may be...
On October 3, USCIS resumed premium processing for all types of H-1B petitions. Premium processing for H-1B petitions and other selected types of employment-based cases is available for an additional government filing fee of $1,225. In exchange, your petition is...
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have teamed up to allow eligible foreign workers to apply for both an employment authorization document (EAD) and a Social Security number (SSN) using one new Form I-765,...
This May, USCIS issued an important policy memorandum about the H-1B master’s cap exemption. In order to qualify for the exemption, the institution granting your master’s degree must be considered a US institution of higher education, as defined by the Immigration and...
On August 28, USCIS announced that there will be a new requirement for in-person interviews for employment-based Adjustment of Status cases that were filed after March 6, 2017. This new requirement will be effective starting October 1. Since the 1990s, most of the...
We encourage our clients and readers to please check the approximate processing times published by USCIS for certain petitions and applications. Although these are only approximate times, they can help you plan better, including postponing or cancelling travel plans;...
Imagine winning a coveted lottery. You are over the moon… and then someone threatens to take your deserved, well-documented, and legally required win away. This is what is happening to many employers and foreign nationals that were fortunate to be selected under the...