As previously announced, USCIS began accepting H-2B petitions on May 31, 2018, under the temporary final rule increasing the numerical limit, or cap, on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 15,000 additional visas through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2018.
USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form(s):
FAQ: Can EB-2 approved file for EB-3?
On May 31, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began receiving H-2B petitions under the temporary final rule increasing the numerical limit, or cap, on H-2B nonimmigrant visas by up to 15,000 additional visas through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2018.
As of June 11, 2018, petitioners who file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, will receive a Form I-797 receipt notice that can be presented with their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, as evidence of continued status for 18 months past the expiration date on their Permanent Resident Card.
With speculations that EB-3 may go ahead of EB-2, can we port down to EB-3 from EB-2 using existing labor, in general is it risky to do that, what happens if porting is denied will we loose existing approved EB-2 petition?.
Watch the Video for this FAQ: Can EB-2 approved file for EB-3?
Video Transcript:
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
USCIS has recently updated the following form:
Wanted to share some info on a friend's case I assisted with. Her father was born in Texas, raised in California. He married a Mexican citizen in Texas in 1992. My friend was then born in Mexico in 1993. She lived there with mother until age three then they moved to California. She was raised in California. Her parents then had two more daughters born in California.
Are you seeking to adjust your status and become a U.S. permanent resident under a family-sponsored or employment-based preference immigrant visa? If you have not yet had a relative or employer file an immigrant visa petition on your behalf, please learn more about the Adjustment of Status Filing Process.
ALERT: Although F-1 nonimmigrant students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT employment authorization, our policies regarding the cap-gap extension remain the same.
On June 21, 2018, USCIS will begin recalling approximately 800 Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) that were issued in conjunction with Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal, which were granted by USCIS asylum officers. The cards contain a production error that transposed the first and last names of the individuals receiving the EADs. These cards were mailed to recipients in April and May 2018.
What is the PERM Appeal Process?
Per 20 CFR 656.24(g), it is an opportunity for an employer to request a Certifying Officer (CO) reconsider denial of an PERM labor certification application (ETA Form 9089) Per 20 CFR 656.26, it is an opportunity for an employer to directly request BALCA review a CO’s decision to deny an ETA Form 9089.
For more details please click the link for the presentation:
Discussion Topics, Thursday 21 June 2018:
FAQ: Changing jobs after I 140 approval || Can a green card be filed for me if I am on H4 or L2 or F1 – – any status other than H-1B or L-1A? || Can an employee withdraw an H-1B petition? || How to add forgotten information on to a naturalization application/N-400? Other: Changing jobs when an appeal to the Department of Labor (BALCA) is pending || Trading stocks while on H-1B or H4 status || Changing from H-1B to F1 status and back to H-1B again || How to extend my I 94 within the USA? || Obtaining EB2 with a three year degree || Procedure after a denied PERM is approved || Validity of I 140 after I 485 denial || Minimizing the future impact of an L-1A denial || Exemption from H-1B quota where visa is stamped but never joined the employer || WHD complaint against employer || Green card processing times || Receiving pension after surrender or loss of green card || Challenging wage levels determined by an employer || India EB-1 priority dates || Traffic violations in N400 || Checking status of PERM, etc.
I have the following questions<br>
Can employer A revoke my current I-140 after I change my employment?<br>
Can I keep getting my visa renewed with Employer B based on my current I-140 with Employer A until Employer B initiates my GC processing?<br>
Does the hike in pay and change in roles in any way affect any of my future GC filings with Employer B?
Watch the Video on this FAQ: Changing jobs after I-140 approval
Video Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
USCIS recently updated the following form(s):
I was in India for my H1 stamping during Dec 2004. This is my first H1 stamping after my OPT. During my first interview the consulate asked me general questions like:
Where do you work ?
what is you daily routine work ?
what is your Boss's name ?
How much do you get paid ?
Hi everyone. I am back as a permanent resident. Had a successful interview. The interview was pretty easy, a young american guy asked me a couple questions regarding my work and then told me my file was fine but the fingerpritning machine was down so to please wait. I waited for 30 mins and then was asked to go back on Friday. The lines outside the Mumbai consulate are awful, be prpeared to wait for a long time in the hot sun. Since the fingerprinting system was down the day of my interview I was asked to go back along with all the other immigrant visa applications for that day.
Folks,
Yes its true. Ever since I met my wife to be in Sept 03, I was waiting for this day. The day she could join me in the US. Today is the day this dream becomes a reality. Today is the first day of the rest of my life!
My wife's CR1 interview experience on 2/22/05 at Chennai,India - in her own words
Great people, Great Results.
Subha,Prerna,Helen and Mathew are simply superb,very prompt
and courteous. I would recommend anyone.
We would like to thank The Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, specially Savita for helping us get through our green card journey. They were very helpful, courteous, prompt and knowledgeable about the whole process.
The whole experience was very smooth, we just had to provide the required documents and information. It is very important to have a highly qualified and professional Law Office on your side for such a critical process.
I would highly recommend them to everyone for all immigration related matters.
Thank you so much to Rajiv, Savita, Leila, and everyone else who handled our cases.
Receipt Date: March 5, 2004
I-140 approved: January 16, 2005
I-485 approved: March 15, 2005
Thanks to the excellent work by Attorney Rajiv S. Khanna's team, especially the exceptional work by my case manager Diane Lombardo, my GC application was such a smooth sailing, it took only 1 year and 10 days for USCIS to approve the application!
I deeply appreciate the excellent professional work and the quick & concise responses by my very experienced case manager Diane Lombardo. Diane always answered my questions the same day, sometimes within minutes! She was so quick and professional in preparing my application documents, I always find myself being the one whom was too slow in response - such as providing supporting documents or returning a signed application form to her. Working in science, I found many of my colleagues were also applying for a GC. None of my colleagues’ other attorneys ever came close to providing the excellent and quick professional help the way Rajiv’s team does everyday! I highly recommend Rajiv’s law firm to anyone whom is looking for excellent professional help in immigration matters!
An additional information on why I chose Attorney Khanna: 6 years ago, I was fresh out of graduate school and half-heartedly contacted several law firms about applying for a GC. Not only did Rajiv himself call me just 2 hours after I contacted his law firm (I called before I went to lunch), he also gave me an honest answer after a quick evaluation over the phone - that I did not have much of a case back then! The quick response and no-nonsense answer are the reasons that, after establishing my career, I chose Attorney Khanna's law firm to process my GC application. And the outcome tells me that I had made the right choice!
Dear Rajiv,
I finally got my approval emails today. My green card story started way back in September 2002, when I sent an email along with my CV to Rajiv one late evening. To my surprise the very next morning I got an email from his office indicating that Rajiv would like to talk about the case and we were on the phone within the next 30 minutes. Rajiv was very polite and courteous and suggested that my application will be best suited for the EB1-EA category. Within couple of hours I received an email with paperwork to sign a retainer and details about the documents I will need to file the application. I must say that the list was extremely long, but again this kind of a detail is what makes approval a breeze. My application was filed within two weeks after I had submitted all the documentation. Rajiv has excellent staff even for handling EB1-EA cases and one of his staff members wrote a 12 page cover letter which basically summarized the whole case in a point-wise manner. Couple of my friends have applied in this category using services from other attorneys and invariably I hear and see that they have to write their own cover letter in first person. In my case, the cover letter was by the Rajiv’s office and six major criteria’s were met by quoting reference letters and supporting documents. Needless to say that the I-140 approval came without any RFE. In 2003-2004, VSC was extremely slow in approving EB1-EA cases but as soon as my receipt date was reached, Rajiv’s office made several calls to VSC to check the status of my case and finally place an AILA request about the status of my application. My approval for I-140 came in Feb 2005, within three weeks of his request. An RFE was generated for my I-485 and here too, the response was nothing but prompt. I received the copy of my RFE via email and the response was submitted the day papers were received at Rajiv’s office. I finally got my approval within three weeks of the receipt of RFE by VSC.
Though this journey has been lengthy and painful, Rajiv and his staff has been with me every step of its way. I can guarantee that this practice is the BEST in the country.
Along with my GC application, Rajiv recently helped and advised two people, who work for me, about technicalities of H1B without charging any fee. This shows that Rajiv is an excellent human being. I whole heartedly recommend his practice for any immigration related services.
Keep up the good work