We are happy to report that on July 10, 2019 the House of Representatives passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019 (H.R. 1044), a bill that if enacted, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants, and increase the per-country…
Articles Posted in Professionals
This Week in Immigration News: Texas Service Center Will Begin Processing Certain Cap-Exempt H-1B Petitions, SEVP Fee Increase
It is that time of the week again! In this post, we bring you the latest immigration news from USCIS. Texas Service Center Will Begin Processing Certain Cap-Exempt H-1B Petitions On May 20, 2019, USCIS announced that the Texas Service Center will begin processing certain cap-exempt H-1B petitions filed on…
BREAKING: EB-3 Phillipines Will Become Current July 2019 Through Summer
Exciting news for Filipino nurses. The EB-3 employment-based category will become current in July 2019 through the summer. This means that if you have an approved PERM application that was filed by your employer, your employer may file Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker on your behalf. Please note…
USCIS Completes FY 2020 H-1B Data Entry, Begins Mailing Unselected Petitions
USCIS announced today May 17, 2019, that the agency has completed data entry for all H-1B petitions selected for fiscal year 2020, including petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption. USCIS will now begin the long process of returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected in the…
H-1B Lottery Receipts Begin to Roll In
Great news! Our office has begun to receive our first I-797 receipt notices in the mail for petitions that were filed with premium processing in the lottery. So far, our office has received four such receipt notices for individuals who filed under the advanced degree exemption. All four of these…
Begin Preparing for the Upcoming H-1B Visa Lottery Today: Running Checklist FY 2020
Now is the time to begin preparing for the upcoming H-1B visa lottery. USCIS will begin to accept H-1B cap-subject petitions for fiscal year 2020 beginning Monday, April 1, 2019. Please note: employers cannot file an H-1B petition for an employee more than 6 months before the employee’s intended start date. If…
A Nurse’s Guide to Working in the United States
In this post, we discuss the different options available for foreign nurses to work in the United States. First, let’s discuss licensure requirements. Registered Nurse License Requirements by Examination Educated Outside the U.S. Educational Evaluation of Transcripts: All applicants who graduated from nursing schools outside the United States must have…
Proposed Rule: Mandatory Registration Requirement for H-1B Petitioners
Today, November 30, 2018, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to impose a registration requirement for H-1B petitioners seeking to file an H-1B petition on behalf of beneficiaries under the regular cap and advanced degree exemption. An unpublished version of…
Upcoming Visa Trends and Projections: EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, EB-5
In this post, we would like to keep our readers informed about Visa Bulletin projections for the coming months. Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division of the U.S. Department of State provides a monthly analysis of each month’s Visa Bulletin including discussion of current trends and…
Is the TN Visa right for you?
If you are a citizen of Canada or Mexico and you are interested in working in the United States temporarily, the TN visa may be right for you. Under 8 CFR 214.16, Citizens of Canada or Mexico may seek temporary entry under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to…