Tag: USCIS

On Monday, April 3, USCIS released a memo announcing multiple measures to further deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse. Protecting American workers by combating fraud in the employment-based immigration programs is a top priority of USCIS. The memo states, “The H-1B Visa Program should help U.S. companies recruit highly-skilled foreign nationals when there […]

One of the ways that USCIS ensures employers are H-1B compliant is through site visits. A site visit occurs when an immigration officer visits the worksite of selected H-1B foreign nationals. These site visits are generally chosen at random and are unannounced, meaning that H-1B employers and employees should be prepared for such potential visits […]

The Department of Homeland Security has recently published a memo unveiling a webpage with a summary of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforcement actions related to inadmissibles, apprehensions, arrests of individuals with criminal convictions, and individuals who have been apprehended multiple times crossing the border illegally. CBP is the nation’s largest federal law enforcement agency […]

On March 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that beginning on April 3, 2017, it will suspend premium processing on all H-1B Petitions for up to six months. What is Premium Processing Service? USCIS currently offers a Premium Processing Service that allows payment of a fee to get a guaranteed faster processing […]

This year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will celebrate Presidents’ Day by welcoming more than 25,000 new U.S. citizens during 162 naturalization ceremonies across the country from Feb. 14 through Feb. 22. USCIS Acting Director Lori Scialabba said, “It fills me with pride to know that 25,000 immigrants will take the Oath of […]

USCIS has recently announced that it has changed how it posts processing times. Rather than listing weeks or months, it now provides specific dates. This is a small initial step towards providing better customer service and giving individuals and employers the information they need regarding their immigration case. However, it should be noted that the […]

One of the most productive and time-efficient pathways to permanent residency is through a National Interest Waiver, under which a foreign national can attain permanent residence by proving that his or her employment will serve to the nation’s benefit. There are two great advantages to this strategy: 1. a foreign national can self-petition for permanent […]

USCIS has published a final rule modernizing and improving several aspects of certain employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa programs. USCIS has also amended regulations to better enable U.S. employers to hire and retain certain foreign workers who are beneficiaries of approved employment-based immigrant visa petitions and are waiting to become lawful permanent residents. This rule […]

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published a revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Effective Jan. 22, 2017, employers must use only the new version, dated 11/14/2016 N. Until then, employers may continue to use the version dated 03/08/2013 N or the new version. The new Form I-9 was created in an […]

USCIS has just announced a final rule that will increase the filing fees for most U.S. immigration applications and petitions. The new fee schedule will take effect on December 23, 2016. USCIS is almost entirely funded by the fees that applicants and petitioners pay for immigration benefits. By law, USCIS is required to conduct fee […]