The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recently made significant announcements for the Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B cap season, introducing updates aimed at enhancing the H-1B selection process and program integrity. By way of background, for FY2024, the USCIS received 780,884 total registrations to meet the total cap of 85,000 H-1B visas it could… Read more »
Starting April 1, 2024, a revised fee schedule from the USCIS is set to be implemented, resulting in higher filing fees for numerous immigration benefit petitioners and applicants. The final rule, scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on January 31, indicates a substantial increase, especially for those filing employment-based petitions. This updated fee structure… Read more »
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a series of fee adjustments for various immigration applications and petitions, with the first set of changes scheduled to take effect on February 26, 2024. Notably, premium processing fees for certain applications will see an increase, with fees for H2-B, R-1, and I-765 (for certain… Read more »
In February 2024, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will launch online organizational accounts and facilitate online filing for H-1B petitioners filing petitions for fiscal year (FY) 2025 as well as non-cap filing. Once the portal is ready to accept online filings, H-1B petitions (Forms I-129) and associated premium processing requests (Form I-907) may be… Read more »
This is an update regarding the anticipated increase in government fees for several immigration processes. On January 4, 2023, the USCIS proposed a rule to adjust the fee schedule, which included an overall weighted average increase of 40% in application fees. The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) officially received the final… Read more »
The USCIS, earlier this month, released an updated policy guidance regarding employer’s ability to pay in employment-based immigrant petitions under first, second, and third preference categories. The new policy comes into effect immediately. • The new guidance addresses how the USCIS will assess ability to pay when a beneficiary changes employers under AC-21. • The… Read more »
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) is launching a pilot program for H-1B visa renewals starting January 29, 2024. The pilot program has an allocation of 20,000 H-1B visas. On a weekly basis, the DOS will release approximately 4,000 application slots. Notably, half of these slots are specifically reserved for H-1B visa applicants with their… Read more »
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received a sufficient number of petitions to fulfil the established quota of 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree or master’s cap for the fiscal year 2024. Contrary to the expectations of certain industry and legal professionals, there will not… Read more »
On September 18, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman’s Office published a handy tip sheet aimed at F-1 international students. The purpose – to assist them in sidestepping potential delays in the adjudication process for Form I-765, better known as Applications for Employment Authorization. This informative tip sheet is a valuable resource… Read more »
There is widespread concern about the impact on U.S. immigration if the U.S. Federal Government shuts down on October 1, 2023, if Congress fails to reach a consensus on the annual spending bill or a temporary funding resolution. In similar situations in the past the White House published contingency plans of federal agencies detailing each… Read more »
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