On Aug. 12 2020, the U.S. Department of State released guidance on national interest exceptions (NIEs) to the June 22 proclamation. As they pertain specifically to H-1B and L-1 visas, the following exceptions may be applicable. H-1B Applicants Public health or healthcare professionals, or researchers seeking to travel to alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 … Read more
Due to the extraordinary and unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency, the production of certain Employment Authorization Documents (Form I-766, EAD) is delayed. As a result, employees may use Form I-797, Notice of Action, with a Notice date on or after December 1, 2019 through and including August 20, 2020 informing an applicant of approval of … Read more
FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES First: (F1) Unmarried Sons and Daughters of U.S. Citizens: 23,400 plus any numbers not required for fourth preference. Second: Spouses and Children, and Unmarried Sons and Daughters of Permanent Residents: 114,200, plus the number (if any) by which the worldwide family preference level exceeds 226,000, plus any unused first preference numbers: A. (F2A) Spouses and Children … Read more
When a USCIS Service Center denies an employment-based visa petition you often have 2 options: Refile a new petition with USCIS File an Appeal to the AAO There are certain situations where refiling with USCIS is not an option. Advantages of Filing an Appeal to the AAO: You can use the administrative review process to … Read more
From uscis.gov on July 1st 2020. In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants and petitioners who are responding to certain: Requests for Evidence; Continuations to Request Evidence (N-14); Notices of Intent to Deny; Notices of Intent to … Read more
From USCIS.gov on 5/29/20: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that it will resume premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, in phases over the next month. Effective June 1, 2020, USCIS will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all eligible Form I-140 petitions. Effective June 8, USCIS will accept premium processing requests for: … Read more
What is The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act of 2020? The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, or S.3599, is a bipartisan bill that would respond to the healthcare worker shortage in the midst of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by recapturing 40,000 unused employment-based visas and using them to expedite processing for immigrant doctors and nurses. The … Read more
SUSPENSION OF ENTRY OF IMMIGRANTS WHO PRESENT A RISK TO THE UNITED STATES LABOR MARKET DURING THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOLLOWING THE 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK – – – – – – – BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly disrupted the livelihoods of Americans. … Read more
A recent US District Court Case provided a victory for H-1B Visa Employers, Employees, and Practitioners. The March 6, 2020 decision in 3Q Digital v USCIS Judge Lamberth ordered USCIS to reopen the case and approve the H-1B petition. There are a few points of interest: The H-1B Visa Petition Job Title was Search Engine … Read more
In TAYLOR MADE SOFTWARE, INC. vs KENNETH T. CUCCINELLI, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the US District Court of the District of Columbia found that USCIS improperly denied an H-1 B Petition for the position of Computer Systems Analyst based on USCIS using an incorrect interpretation of the Specialty Occupation definition. For the purposes of the … Read more
