Today, USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2020 cap. Any FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitions filed before April 1st will be rejected. Beginning today, 65,000 H-1B visas will be available for the regular cap, and 20,000 H-1B visas for advanced degree holders. Selection Important changes will…
Articles Posted in Trump administration
Start of FY 2020 H-1B Cap Season
The start of the FY 2020 H-1B cap season begins on April 1, 2019. This year, USCIS will offer premium processing services in a two-phased approach to avoid temporary suspension of the service. Change of Status H-1B Cap Petitions Starting April 1, FY 2020 cap-subject H-1B petitioners requesting a change…
Immigration Updates: TPS Extensions and Visa Processing for Venezuelans
USCIS Issues Notice Extending TPS Designation for Beneficiaries from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador In compliance with a court ordered preliminary injunction issued in the case Ramos v. Nielsen, USCIS has issued a notice formally announcing the automatic extension of TPS documentation for beneficiaries from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and…
New Report Indicates Immigration Backlogs Have Reached “Crisis” Levels under Trump
A new policy brief published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) analyzing USCIS processing times reveals that the agency has reached “crisis” level delays in processing immigrant and non-immigrant petitions. These delays have worsened during the Trump administration. According to the report the most vulnerable populations include immigrant families,…
Immigration Courts feel the pinch of the Government Shutdown
A new report released by CBS news estimates that the immigration court system could face a staggering backlog of more than one million cases, if the government shutdown extends into February and March. According to the report, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky in particular will be the most affected, owing to…
President Offers “Compromise” to End Government Shutdown
Facing mounting pressure from the American public, the President delivered his last-ditch effort offering what he termed a “compromise” to gain support for his controversial wall and put an end to what has been a long-drawn-out government shutdown. In Saturday’s White House address, President Trump announced a plan that would…
The President Delivers Oval Office Address on Border Wall
This evening the President of the United States delivered his first primetime address from the Oval Office to gain support from the American people to build a border wall along the U.S./Mexico border. The President’s speech comes 17 days into a partial government shutdown that has left thousands of federal…
Government Shutdown enters 13th day, Increasing the Immigration Court Backlog
The government shutdown has now entered its 13th day with no agreement in sight between the President and lawmakers to settle government funding for the President’s wall along the U.S./Mexico border. Today, January 3, 2019, the President awoke to a newly convened House of Representatives, now controlled by the Democratic…
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…
This Week at the Southwest Border: Closures at the San Ysidro port of entry
The immigrant caravan from Central America has now reached the Southwest border. Thousands of migrants are now waiting in Tijuana for an opportunity to apply for asylum at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, tensions begin to mount as members of the immigrant…