USCIS announces TPS re-registration for qualified Nepal citizens living in the U.S.

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment Visas, Family Green Cards, UncategorizedLeave a comment

USCIS announcement - "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Nepal’s designation who want to maintain their status through the effective termination date of June 24, 2019, must re-register between May 22, 2018, and July 23, 2018. Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization …

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USCIS announces new, more secure delivery of approved green cards, requiring applicant ID and signature.

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment Visas, Family Green Cards, UncategorizedLeave a comment

From USCIS press release - WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that the agency will begin phasing in use of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Signature Confirmation Restricted Delivery service to mail Green Cards and other secure documents beginning April 30, 2018. The first phase will affect documents that need to be …

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Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Citizens of Nepal Will End on June 24, 2019

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment Visas, UncategorizedLeave a comment

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Nepal on June 24, 2019.  According to DHS,  the country conditions in Nepal have improved since the 2015 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. Currently, TPS is set to expire on June 24, 2018.  Renewal for those who currently …

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USCIS Announces It Has Completed Random Selection of H-1B Cap Petitions for Processing

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment VisasLeave a comment

USCIS Announcment: On April 11, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2019. USCIS received 190,098 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 2, including petitions filed for …

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H-1B Cap Reached for FY2019

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment VisasLeave a comment

USCIS released the following statement today: USCIS has reached the congressionally-mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap for fiscal year 2019. USCIS has also received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap. The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject …

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USCIS and CBP Announces New Form I-129 Pilot Program for Canadian L-1 Nonimmigrants

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment VisasLeave a comment

On March 30, the USCIS announced a new pilot program for L-1 visa applicants who are Canadian citizens.  Read on for the full announcment: "From April 30, 2018, to Oct. 31, 2018, the USCIS California Service Center (CSC) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Blaine, Washington, port of entry (POE) will implement a …

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USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap Petitions

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment Visas, UncategorizedLeave a comment

USCIS released the following statement today: Starting April 2, 2018, USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 cap. We will temporarily suspend premium processing for all FY 2019 cap-subject petitions, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher. This suspension is expected to …

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It’s Family Reunification, not Chain Migration

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Family Green CardsLeave a comment

In a recent statement, the government belittled our family reunification immigration laws, adopting the pejorative term  "chain migration."  It further claimed family immigration “has depressed wages and job opportunities for comparably skilled American workers.” Aside from offering no valid proof of this claim, the current government disregards the objective of keeping families together, which America has …

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H-1B Employers: Ready for the FY 2019 H-1B Cap Season?

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment VisasLeave a comment

The race for H-1B professional worker visas begins April 2, 2018.  Employers of recently graduated foreign students and others will vie for new visas, which are limited to  65,000 per fiscal year (the “H-1B cap”).   And of these, 6,800 are reserved for citizens of Chile and Singapore under certain free trade agreements, effectively leaving only …

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April 2018 Visa Bulletin Green Card Update

On By Ann Massey BadmusIn Employment Visas, Family Green CardsLeave a comment

The Department of State has posted the Visa Bulletin for April 2018. EB-1 Priority Workers final action date is current for all nationals, except those born in India and China who now have a cutoff date of January 1, 2012.   EB-2 and EB-3 final action dates are  current for all except those born in India, China, and …

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