Key Finding: Creating the innovations of tomorrow More than three out of every four patents at the top 10 patent-producing US universities (76%) had at least one foreign-born inventor. More than half of the patents (54%) were awarded to the group of foreign-born inventors most likely to face visa hurdles: students, postdoctoral fellows, or staff[Read More]
News and Alerts
USCIS HAS COMPLETED THE DATA ENTRY OF FISCAL YEAR 2018 H-1B CAP SUBJECT PETITIONS
USCIS announced on May 3, 2017, that it has completed data entry of all fiscal year 2018 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in our computer-generated random process. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected. Due to the high volume of filings, USCIS is unable to provide a definite time frame[Read More]
USCIS website’s Infopasss system to schedule a appointment is NOT working
USCIS customer should check back often to see if it comes back on. https://my.uscis.gov/appointment Infopass lets you schedule a free appointment to visit a local USCIS office and get answers on your case
U.S. District Court for District of Columbia Dismisses Legal Challenge to 2016 STEM OPT Rule
April, 19, 2019 The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a legal challenge to the 2016 STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) rule, finding that although the plaintiffs had standing to challenge the rule, they failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted as required by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6).[Read More]
Blanket L Admission Procedures
The blanket L process can be a useful way for qualifying employers to sponsor intracompany transferees for work in the U.S. However, despite its utility, inconsistencies abound in the length of stay granted to blanket L beneficiaries at U.S. ports of entry. ‘ Specifically, inconsistencies can arise when the initial validity period of a blanket[Read More]
USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2018
USCIS announced on April 7, 2017, that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2018. USCIS also received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to meet the U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap. USCIS received 199,000 H-1B petitions during the[Read More]
USCIS Will Issue Redesigned Green Cards and Employment Authorization Documents
USCIS Release Date: April 19, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a redesign to the Permanent Resident Card (also known as a Green Card) and the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project. USCIS will begin issuing the new cards on May 1, 2017.[Read More]
USCIS Will Accept Only New Forms Starting Feb. 21, 2017
Important reminder: Please check USCIS website for their current filing fees and acceptable versions of forms. USCIS: On Dec. 23, 2016, our new fees took effect and we published updated versions of our forms. We strongly encourage customers to go to uscis.gov/forms to download and submit these new versions, which are updated with the new fees[Read More]
Startup Visa (Final Rule on International Entrepreneur)
This final rule for Startup Visa / parole is part of Executive Action President Obama had announced in November 2014. USCIS, an agency under Department of Homeland Security, had announced that it is proposing a rule to encourage entrepreneurs throughout the world to develop their innovative ideas and create jobs in the U.S. This rule would[Read More]
USCIS Publishes Final Rule For Certain Employment-Based Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Programs
November 18, 2016, USCIS has published final rule to modernize and improve 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[Read More]