May 23, 2017, Washington D.C. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an internal policy guidance to its personnel that in order to qualify for an H-1B numerical cap exemption based upon a master’s or higher degree, the degree conferring institution must have qualified as a “United States institution of higher education” at the time[Read More]
News & Alerts
Increased global mobility of talent could present more opportunities than the challenges
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]
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
Photo requirements for a U.S. visa
Your photo is a vital part of your visa application. To learn more, review the information below on how to provide a suitable photo. Digital images are required for some visa categories, while photos are required for other visa categories. The acceptance of your digital image or photo is at the discretion of the U.S.[Read More]
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 start accepting H-1B petitions under FY 2018 quota beginning from April 3rd to 7th, 2017
February 22, 2017, Washington DC. Adhikari Law advises it’s clients and other corporations and legal entities to start planning for the filing of H-1B petitions under Fiscal Year 2018 cap. According to H-1B regulations, USCIS will start accepting petitions beginning from Monday, April 3rd, 2017 and will last for five business day until April 7th.[Read More]