Author Archives: ABIL

Headlines: 1. Various Categories Oversubscribed for August, State Dept. Reports -High demand in various employment-based visa categories has required the establishment of cut-off dates in August. 2. USCIS Has Returned Unselected FY 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions -Those who submitted an H-1B cap-subject petition between April 1 and April 7, 2016, and do not receive a receipt notice or a […]

Headlines: 1. Split Supreme Court Decision Blocks DAPA -In U.S. v. Texas, the Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings that block the Obama administration’s plan to allow approximately 4 million parents of U.S. citizen children to remain in the United States and obtain work authorization. 2. USCIS Celebrates SAVE’s 30th Anniversary, Launches Redesigned Website -SAVE has 1,138 registered agencies […]

Headlines: 1. House Holds Hearing on H-2B Temporary Foreign Worker Program -Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) noted, among other things, that according to USCIS statistics, as of June 2, 2016, the agency had already approved petitions for 12,727 returning H-2B workers, “with 1,171 potential additional returning workers in the pipeline.” 2. State Dept. Releases DV-2017 Results -Approximately 83,910 applicants have […]

Headlines: 1. USCIS, DOS Launch e-Approval for H-2A Petitions -USCIS and DOS announced the launch of e-Approval for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for the H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) classification. 2. USCIS Will Now Use Pre-Paid Mailers To Send H-2A Receipt Notices -Coinciding with the launch of e-Approval, USCIS has begun using pre-paid mailers provided by petitioners […]

Headlines: 1. USCIS Proposes Fee Increases, New Fee for Annual Certification of EB-5 Regional Centers -Among other things, USCIS proposes a new fee of $3,035 to recover the full cost of processing the EB-5 Annual Certification of Regional Center, Form I-924A. 2. USCIS Completes Data Entry of FY 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions, Begins Rejections -USCIS has begun returning all […]

Headlines: 1. USCIS To Resume Premium Processing for Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions; Temporarily Suspends Use of Pre-Paid Mailers for Certain H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions -For cap-subject H-1B petitions, including advanced degree exemption petitions, the 15-day premium processing period will begin on May 12, 2016, regardless of the date on the Form I-797 receipt notice. 2. USCIS Designates Two ‘Adopted Decisions,’ […]

Headlines: 1. USCIS Reaches FY 2017 H-1B Cap -As expected, USCIS has quickly reached the H-1B cap for FY 2017. USCIS also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption. Due to the high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the date on which it […]

Headlines: 1. USCIS Finalizes Guidance on ‘Same or Similar’ Occupations and Job Portability -USCIS has finalized guidance on determining whether a new job is in the “same or similar” occupational classification with respect to job portability. 2. USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2016 -USCIS announced it has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach […]

Headlines: 1. DHS Announces Further VWP Travel Restrictions -DHS has added Libya, Somalia, and Yemen as three countries of concern with respect to new limits on VWP travel for certain individuals who have traveled to these countries. 2. Tech, Business Executives Petition Congress To Undo New Restrictions on Visa-Free Travel -Almost three dozen technology and business executives petitioned the […]