The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is used by citizens from 38 countries to travel without a visa to the U.S. However, starting in April, the DHS will require these travelers to obtain a visa to travel to the U.S. If they don’t have an ePassport. An e-Passport contains an...
This week, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas. This lawsuit involves the challenge by Texas and 25 other States to the Obama administration’s deferred-action policy for certain undocumented immigrants. President Obama’s...
USCIS just announced that it received over 236,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions. This number is just a little higher than last year when USCIS received 233,000 petitions. We don’t yet have the number of U.S. Master’s vs. Bachelor’s degree petitions received. We know...
You should keep your “green card” valid at all times and plan to apply for naturalization while it is valid. As a U.S. permanent resident, you are expected to carry a valid green card with you. The naturalization process is taking several months and sometimes up to a...
USCIS does not have the authority to change a person’s name when they naturalize. However, you can request that USCIS issues a Certificate of Naturalization under a new name if: You present proof that you have already legally changed your name. Such proof could be...
Foreign students currently on STEM OPT may apply for an additional seven months to benefit from the new 24-month period of STEM OPT rule. But, the time frame to apply is limited. According to the latest USCIS update, applicants must submit required paperwork to...
As of April 7, 2016 USCIS reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for the fiscal year (FY) 2017. They received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the US advanced degree exemption and more than the 65,000 for the regular cap filings. USCIS will use a...
USCIS expects to receive more than 85,000 new cap-subject H-1Bs petitions during the first 5 business days in April. This will result in a random lottery of the petitions received. First the master’s and then the regular cap. If there are more than 20,000 "master's...