[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 19288-19289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07866]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
22 CFR Part 41
[Public Notice: 8687] RIN 1400-AD51
Visas: Waiver by Joint Action of Visa and Passport Requirements for Members of Armed Forces and Coast Guards of Foreign Countries
AGENCY: Department of State.
Effective April 10, 2014, all USCIS offices will begin using new district names in all references to the international districts. The new names are as follows:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7 that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7 that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption.
New - Q1: What is deferred action?
| DATE | Statistics for |
| FY 2014 | Permanent Labor Certification Program |
| FY 2014 YTD | National Prevailing Wage Center |
| FY 2014 YTD |
|
AAO Processing Times as of April 1, 2014 |
||
| Form Number |
Case Type |
Time |
| I-129CW | CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker | Current |
|
I-129F |
Petition for Fiancée |
Current |
|
I-129 H1B |
Nonimmigrant Specialty Occupation Worker |
Current |
On April 28, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin premium processing for H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2015 cap, including H-1B petitions seeking an exemption from the fiscal year cap for individuals who have earned a U.S. master’s degree or higher. USCIS first announced that we would begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than April 28 in a news release on March 25.
Eligible nationals of Haiti who currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) must re-register for TPS by May 2, 2014. Failure to re-register by this deadline may result in the loss of your TPS and your work authorization.
On January 17, 2014, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (the "2014 Appropriations Act"), Pub. L. 113-76, which includes a provision permitting staggered entry of H-2B workers employed by employers in the seafood industry under certain conditions. This provision expires on September 30, 2014; accordingly, no staggered entry of H-2B workers after September 30, 2014 will be permitted.
The news item and related documents are available here:
http://www.immigration.com/newslette...prmprocss.html
Please note, for now (June 2008), premium processing is only available if you meet ALL of the current requirements:
1. Your are currently on H-1;
2. Your H-1 status is expiring within 60 days when you apply for I-140 premium processing; and
3. You are not eligible to receive 1-year H-1 extensions because your labor certification was filed less than one year ago.
This issue has come up several times. Here is what USCIS says:
USCIS Considerations to expedite Cases
All expedite requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and are granted at the discretion of the Director. The criteria are as follows:
* Severe financial loss to company or individual
* Extreme emergent situation
* Humanitarian situation
* Nonprofit status of requesting organization in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States
This morning, I was working on explaining to a client (whom I respect greatly), one of the foremost musicians from India, how EB1 (Extraordinary Ability) category applies to musicians and performers. As I was sending him the basic information on EB1 category, I thought I will share the general criteria with all of you. This information is for EA, generally and applies to all fields - not just music. See attached.
Regards to all. Rajiv.