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H-1B Cap Reached for FY-2010

Reaching of the statutory cap means that no further cap-subject H-1B petitions will be accepted for employment with a work start date beginning in fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009 — September 30, 2010). H-1B petitions that are not subject to the statutory cap will continue to be accepted. USCIS will begin accepting cap-subject petition […]

New Verification Operations Center in Buffalo, New York

nan About the Author Vishal Chander is an immigration attorney and founder of The Chander Law Firm PC in New York City. He advises employers and individuals on U.S. immigration strategy, including H-1B, PERM, and employment-based compliance. The Chander Law Firm PC 469 Fashion Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10018 Phone: (212) 731-2444 www.chanderlaw.com

State Department Proposes Increases to Nonimmigrant Visa Fees

The new proposed nonimmigrant visa fee is $150. This is an increase from $131. The proprosed nonimmigrant visa fee for K fiancee visas is $350. The proposed fee for E-1 and E-2 visas is $390. Related Links Proposal for Increase of Nonimmigrant Visa Application Fees About the Author Vishal Chander is an immigration attorney and […]

H-1B Visas for Fiscal Year 2010 Remaining as of December 10, 2009

Approximately 62,500 cap-subject H-1B visas have been filed. Given that the annual quota of cap-subject H-1B visas is 65,000 and 6,800 of those are shared for H-1B1 visas, there remain less than 2, 500 cap-subject H-1B visas for fiscal year 2010. H-1B annual quotas do not impact cap-exempt positions, H-1B extensions, and petitions for change […]

January 2010 Visa Bulletin Released

The Department of State estimates that in fiscal year 2010 only second preference employment-based applications filed in July through October 2005 for China and February through early March 2005 for India will be adjudicated. For third preference employment based applications, the processing estimates for 2010 are: Worldwide: April through August 2005 China: June through September […]

USCIS Q&As Regarding H-1B LCA Temporary Acceptance

On December 8, 2009, USCIS issued questions and answers regarding the recent policy implemented to address the delay in adjudication of labor condition application under the Department of Labor’s new iCert system. The entire release is copied in whole below: Questions and Answers: Temporary Acceptance of H-1B Petition Filed without DOL’s Certified Labor Condition Applications […]

USCIS Issues Additional Guidance for O an P Petitions

The guidance provides that O and P-1 petitions filed by agents are subject to several conditions. For petitions involving multiple employers filed by an agent for both the employer and beneficiary, the petition must include: a complete itinerary of events or services or engagements the itinerary must specify dates, names and addresses of actual employers, […]

USCIS Announces 58,900 H-1B Cap Subject Petitions Filed as of November 27, 2009

Fiscal year 2010 visas would allow foreign workers to begin employment with United States employers on October 1, 2010. Given the few remaining H-1B visas available, The Chander Law Firm highly recommends that employers seeking to hire foreign worker for position starting in October 2010 file immediately. It is likely that visa numbers will be […]

SEVP Office Updates Mailing Address

All correspondence should now be forwarded to: Student and Exchange Visitor Program Attn: (Branch Name or Job Title) SEVP MS 5600, DHS/ICE 500 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20598–5600 The new main telephone line is (703) 603–3400. Email addresses remain unchanged. Inquiries may be directed to staff emails or [email protected]. About the Author Vishal Chander […]