On April 1, 2014, USCIS will begin accepting new H-1B visa petitions for an employment start date of October 1, 2014. We expect a repeat of 2013, where the H-1B cap was reached during the first week of filing because the demand for these visas exceeded their...
Have you been watching the incredible and exhilarating Olympics being held in Sochi? As part of our newsletter, we would like to recognize some of the foreign-born athletes that are representing our country: Paul Stastny - Hockey Cam Fowler - Hockey Laurene Ross -...
After many years of resistance, DHS quickly moved to adjudicate same-sex marriage petitions after the U.S. Supreme Court decision in U.S. v. Windsor (2013) to strike the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
Last year's 16-day federal government shutdown led to significant delays and interruption in immigration services. Specifically, internet-based E-Verify, filing labor conditions applications and permanent labor certifications. As a result, delays in adjudications are...
In April, CBP implemented an electronic Form I-94 processing for foreign nationals arriving in the U.S. via air and sea. Only foreign nationals arriving at a land border are now issued paper I-94's. Foreign nationals affected by this change are receiving a passport...
After working on a suitable form for almost a year and without much warning, the USCIS released the 7th edition of Form I-9 in March, 2013. The reformatted form is two pages and has expanded fields. Our audits of clients' I-9 have shown that employers are...
The DOL continued to scrutinize, audit and deny a significant number of applications for permanent labor certification (PERM). Approximately 30% of cases were audited, of those 50 percent were denied. Processing times have increased significantly. It is taking about...
The promise of the passage of a comprehensive bill looked hopeful last June when the U.S. Senate passed bill S. 744 which included a path for legalization for unauthorized immigrants, an expansion of E-Verify, an increase in the number of temporary work visas and a...