News Updates

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen? Tips to Successfully Manage the Corporate Immigration Process

08:07 02 October in LAC Blog by Larrabee
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It is not uncommon for our clients to reach out to us and ask for guidance on how best to internally manage the immigration process for its foreign national employees. Some of our clients are just venturing down this path for the first time and others are struggling to manage the internal demands of a growing immigration need within their companies. As a result, we thought it might be helpful to provide some general guidance on the challenges and the best practices we see on daily basis from the interaction with our clients which range in size from small startups...

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Premium Processing Fee to Increase October 1, 2018

18:05 04 September in News Updates by Larrabee
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published notice today that it is increasing the premium processing fee charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).  DHS is increasing the fee by 14.92 percent, which reflects the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last adjusted in 2010 according to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The adjustment increases the USCIS filing fee from $1,225 to $1,410. The fee increase is effective on October 1, 2018.   Applications postmarked on or after that date must include the new fee. Additional information on the USCIS Premium Processing Service  Should you have any questions,...

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USCIS Extends and Expands Suspension of Premium Processing for H-1B Petitions

15:01 29 August in News Updates by Larrabee
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USCIS is extending the previously announced temporary suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions. The previously announced suspension of premium processing for fiscal year 2019 cap-subject H-1B petitions was originally slated to last until Sept. 10, 2018, but that suspension is being extended through an estimated date of Feb. 19, 2019. In addition, beginning Sept. 11, 2018, USCIS will be expanding this temporary suspension to include certain additional H-1B petitions.  USCIS expects that these suspensions will also last until Feb. 19, 2019. Which Cases are Affected? As of Tuesday, September 11, 2018, premium processing requests will not be accepted for: -      H-1B change...

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USCIS Updates Guidance on Unlawful Presence Accrual for F, M and J Nonimmigrants

17:53 14 August in News Updates by Larrabee
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USCIS Updates Guidance on Unlawful Presence Accrual for F, M and J Nonimmigrants U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued revised and final guidance on the accrual of unlawful presence for students and exchange visitors. The memo issued August 9, 2018 updates the guidance issued on May 10, 2018 regarding the accrual of unlawful presence for F, M and J nonimmigrants. The new guidance is effective as of August 9, 2018, and supersedes prior memoranda. The major change from the memorandum issued on May 10, 2018 is that if a student who is out of status timely files an application for...

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Major Change for F, M and J nonimmigrants: USCIS Changing Policy on Accrual of Unlawful Presence

17:47 16 May in News Updates by Larrabee
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Effective August 9, 2018, USCIS will change the way it calculates unlawful presence for individuals in the U.S. as F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and M-1 vocational students and their families. Who Does This Impact? F-1 International Students M-1 Vocational Students J-1 Exchange Visitors in all categories, from au pairs to post-doctoral research scholars F-2, M-2 and J-2 dependent spouses and children 18 to 21 years of age.   Dependents may accrue unlawful presence based on the principal’s violation of status, or their own violation. Current Policy The above visa classifications are generally admitted for “Duration of Status.”  That is, the I-94 admission document...

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USCIS Completes Data Entry of Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions

22:38 15 May in News Updates by Larrabee
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USCIS issued the following Press Release: May 15, 2018-  "USCIS has completed data entry for all fiscal year 2019 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in our computer-generated random selection process. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected. Due to the high volume of filings, USCIS cannot provide a definite time frame for returning unselected petitions. USCIS asks petitioners not to inquire about the status of their cap-subject petitions until they receive a receipt notice or an unselected petition is returned. USCIS will issue an announcement once all the unselected petitions have been returned. Additionally, USCIS may transfer...

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