Archive

On August 17, 2018, USCIS updated a few policies with regards to STEM OPT employment. The agency removed its ban on third-party placement and tightened its language regarding reporting responsibilities. Read More

Department of State released the September 2018 Visa Bulletin. You can access the copy of the Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website here.Read More

Department of State released the August 2018 Visa Bulletin. You can access the copy of the Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website here.Read More

Department of State released the July 2018 Visa Bulletin. You can access the copy of the Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website here.Read More

By Xiaojie (Marta) Meng, Deok (Doug) Song

On May 10, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) proposed a policy memo regarding the accrual of unlawful presence for F (student), J (exchange visitor), and M (vocational student) nonimmigrants. USCIS seeks public comment regarding the proposed changes until June 11, 2018.

The proposed changes unfairly applies the law and triggers unlawful presence accrual for unsuspecting F, J, and M nonimmigrants who may not reasonably know about technical violations of status until years after the fact. Also, the proposed rule is inconsistent with existing statutes, regulations, and interpretations. The new policy change will create unintended legal and practical problems for all interested parties, including the U.S. government, nonimmigrants in these status, and the general public associated with these individuals. Thus, we respectfully and strongly urge USCIS to reconsider the implementation of the proposed policy and withdraw the proposed memo to take more time to thoroughly review it.

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Department of State released the June 2018 Visa Bulletin. You can access the copy of the Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website here.Read More

USCIS announced on April 11, 2018 that it has completed the computer-generated random selection process, or lottery, to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally-mandated number of petitions for regular cap and master’s cap for fiscal year (FY) 2019.Read More

Department of State released the May 2018 Visa Bulletin. You can access the copy of the Visa Bulletin on the Department of State website here.Read More

On April 6, 2018, USCIS announced that it has reached the 65,000 H-1B visa Regular Cap and the 20,000 visa H-1B Masters Cap for the 2019 Fiscal Year.Read More

USCIS announced its decision to temporarily suspend premium processing for all Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap petitions, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher, starting April 2, 2018. This suspension is expected to last until Sept. 10, 2018.Read More