Immigration Visa Attorney Blog

As we approach the H-1B cap for the year, The United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) is looking for ways to handle the H-1b cap lottery in a more efficient way.

Prior to this year, employers had to file petitions even in cases where the numerical limitation had been reached in order to be considered for the lottery system which allocates the last available H-1B visas.

Continue reading "Columbus H-1B Attorney on CAP Registration System" »

In a letter this month to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services director Alejandro Mayorkas said that the EB-5 Regional Center Program may rely on jobs "indirectly created outside its geographic boundaries."

Continue reading " Investor Immigration Attorney on Job Creation - Update. " »

The recent failure of a piece of immigration law in Congress will have an impact on teens and young adults throughout the country, including places in the Midwest like Ohio and Michigan.

Last Saturday the United States Senate voted down legislation which would have given some illegal immigrants the opportunity to gain legal status.

Continue reading "Columbus Ohio Immigration Attorney: "Senate Says No to DREAM"" »

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has released the latest information for the H-1B petitions filed since the beginning of April.

As of Dec. 10 there have been 52,400 regular petition received by the USICS out of a total cap number of 65,000. That is an increase of 1,200 from the previous week's total.

The Master's cap number is at 19,100, or 900 shy of its 20,000 allotment. That number is up by 400 from Dec. 3.

Some estimates have the Master's H-1B cap being reached near Jan. 1, 2011. The regular cap could be reached soon after that date.

The USCIC began accepting applications since April 1 and will continue to do so until the caps are reached. Form-129 needs to be completed in its entirety in order for an applicant to have the best chance for approval.

Experienced counsel is recommended to help navigate the process with the least amount difficulty.

Audit activities in Columbus, Ohio and Troy, Michigan may have slowed down, but they are in full-force in other parts of the county. The Department of Labor announced this week that it will collect more than $750,000 in back wages and penalties from a computer company which violated H-1B provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Continue reading "H-1B Attorney Update on DOL Audits" »

Last week the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services released its latest information on H-1B visa petitions filed since April 1.

As of Dec. 3 the USCIS had received 51,200 regular petitions out of a total cap number of 65,000. That is approximately 800 more than were received at this time last year.

Continue reading "H-1B Update for Cap-Subject Petitions - December 3" »

Recently the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it is introducing a standardized form to request a waiver of the processing fees associated with immigration benefits. The form, I-912, became available Nov. 23.

Continue reading "USCIS Introduces First Fee Waiver Form" »

On Nov. 19 the U.S. announced it would be making the visa application process for Indians more convenient.

The embassy in New Delhi, as well as the consulates-general located in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai, will accept application from any part of the country, regardless of the address of the applicant. Interviews will also be conducted at the most convenient location for the applicant.

Also part of the change was a restructuring of the consulate districts.

Ambassador Timothy Roemer said the changes will make the embassy and consulates-general: "even better positioned to support and serve Indian visa applicants, as well as American citizens and businesses throughout India."