It’s that time of the year again. The H-1B cap season for FY 2024 will soon be in full swing. USCIS has just announced that the H-1B initial registration period for the FY 2024 cap is scheduled to open at noon ET on March 1, 2023 and will remain open until noon ET…
Articles Posted in STEM
USCIS Announces Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) Loses Accreditation: How this Impacts F-1 Students, STEM OPT Extensions, H-1B Master’s Cap, and More…
In this blog post, we bring you some unfortunate news. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education announced that it will no longer recognize the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency. Sadly, this means that certain F-1 student visa applicants will be impacted by this…
President Biden Eyes Russian STEM Talent Calling for Exemption of the Employment Sponsorship Requirement for Highly Educated
We kick off the start of a brand-new week with some interesting revelations. On April 28, 2022, President Biden issued a letter proposing a new immigration measure that, if passed, could offer highly educated Russian nationals a pathway to permanent residency. What is it all about? The Russian invasion of…
This Week in Immigration News: H-1B FY 2023 Selections Completed!
We kick off the start of a brand-new week with the latest in the world of immigration. This week we are excited to announce new H-1B FY 2023 cap season updates — the lottery is now complete! H-1B Fiscal Year 2023 Season Updates As our readers will know, the mandatory…
This Week in Immigration News: USCIS Updates its Guidelines to Increase Validity Period of Employment Authorization Documents for Certain Applicants, & H-1B FY 2023 Registration Reminders
Happy Valentine’s Day! Welcome back to Visalawyerblog. In this blog post, we share with you some important updates in the world of immigration. But first, we hope you are having a wonderful holiday spent with friends and loved ones. What’s New? USCIS Updates its Guidelines to Increase Validity Period of…
Department of State/AILA Liaison Committee Meeting Q&A Highlights: What is DOS doing to eliminate the Visa Backlogs? What is the status of processing at missions in China? & More!
In today’s blog post, we share some interesting Question and Answer responses recently provided by the Department of State’s Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Consular Affairs (L/CA), in a meeting with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). The responses below provide some important insight into current immigration policies…
DHS Issues Federal Notice Updating STEM Designated Degrees for Post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) Eligibility
More immigration news is coming your way. This week important updates have been released for F-1 students seeking post-completion Optional Practical Training in certain STEM-related fields of study. DHS Issues Advance Copy of STEM Designated Degree Program List for post-completion Optional Practical Training If you are an international student studying…
DOS Update: Entry of F-1, M-1, Certain Exchange Academics, Journalists, and Critical Infrastructure Workers, in the National Interest Despite COVID-19 Regional Presidential Proclamations
In today’s blog post, we are happy to bring our readers some very exciting news. On April 26, 2021, the Department of State formally announced a new National Interest Determination for certain categories of nonimmigrant visa applicants currently unable to enter the United States due to COVID-19 related Regional Presidential…
This Week in Immigration: USCIS Expands Premium Processing to E-3 Petitions, USCIS Introduces Flexibilities for Certain Students Filing Form I-765 for OPT, H-1B FY 2022 Cap Registration Opens March 9th
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! We kick off the start of a brand-new week with some important immigration updates. USCIS Expands Premium Processing Service to E-3 Petitioners We are happy to report that beginning February 24, 2021, petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, who are requesting a change…
The Start of a New Era: Biden Administration Sends Bill to Congress Opening Pathway to Citizenship for Undocumented
The nation awoke with a new President of the United States, and although President Joe Biden has been in office for less than one day, his administration is already planning sweeping immigration reforms and policy changes that will unfold throughout the coming months. This is just the start of President…