Category: Work In The US

On January 31, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice to the Federal Register announcing a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  This new version was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on October 12, 2019.  Employers should begin using this updated form (10/21/2019) immediately, although the prior version (Rev. […]

Managing Partner Rosanna Berardi discusses a recent TN application for a Computer Systems Analyst. This case is unique in the sense that the applicant did not possess a degree in computer science, rather, the applicant has an MBA and many years of work experience.  As some of you may know, the Computer Systems Analyst category requires […]

The US Department of State has dramatically increased visa issuance fees for Australian nationals in certain visa categories as of December 23, 2019. The US government charges visa issuance fees for nonimmigrant visas that are approved. The fee increases are intended to reciprocate the fees the Australian government charges US citizens who are issued visas.  […]

The L-1 category allows a U.S. employer to transfer an executive, manager, or specialized knowledge employee from an affiliated foreign office to one of its offices in the United States. To qualify, there are specific requirements that must be satisfied by both the petitioning employer and the beneficiary employee. On the employer’s side, it must […]

Our office is happy to report another successful trip to the Peace Bridge for an L-1 renewal.  Over the last year, Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has said their rules are changing regarding the adjudication of L-1 renewals.  Moving forward, if an individual has spent approximately six months or longer in the United States per […]

Senior Associate Attorney Gabriella Agostinelli reports another successful trip to the border for a first-time L-1 applicant. When our team puts together an L-1 package, we want to be able to show several things: person holds a qualifying position the foreign entity and U.S.-based entity are properly affiliated; and the two entities are actively doing business.  […]

Attorney Zachary Ahlstrom discusses a recent TN application he submitted for an engineer. In this case, our client came to us after he was previously denied TN status at the border. Unfortunately, he submitted his application on New Year’s Day around 10pm, and the officer reviewing the application was not fully versed in the TN […]

On January 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) published a notice in the Federal Registerannouncing the implementation of the registration process for H-1B cap-subject petitions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.  The initial H-1B petition registration period will begin on Sunday, March 1, 2020.  Starting on this date, USCIS will require H-1B cap-subject petitioners, including those eligible for […]

Background  On January 31, 2019, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule making significant changes to the H-1B visa lottery process.  This rule added an electronic registration requirement for petitioners seeking to submit H-1B cap-subject petitions and reversed the order by which USCIS selects petitions under the H-1B cap and the advanced degree […]

Every fiscal year, approximately 140,000 employment-based immigrant visas are made available to qualified applicants under the provisions of US immigration law. Employment based immigrant visas are divided into five preference categories. These five preference categories include priority workers and persons with extraordinary ability, professionals holding advanced degrees and persons of exceptional ability, skilled workers, professionals, […]