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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  reopened the fiscal year 2009 H-2B petition filing period and will immediately accept new H-2B petitions. Although on Jan. 7, 2009, USCIS announced it accepted and approved a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated annual cap of 66,000, the Department of State received far fewer than expected requests for H-2B visas and as a result, has issued only 40,640 H-2B visas for fiscal year 2009 to date. This means that there are approximately 25,000 visas that may go unused, as they have not been granted.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today the manner in which petitioners for religious workers must notify USCIS regarding their employment of nonimmigrant religious workers in R-1 status.  The procedures are necessary to enable petitioners to comply with the notification requirements established by USCIS regulations governing the R-1 nonimmigrant classification. 

Time taken for a check to be valid after the time of arrival at the USCIS - The USCIS usually processes the fee-ing in of most of the applications within 24 hours of receipt. The bank has the option to accept or reject a fee instrument that expired at the time of its deposit. If the bank for expiry rejects the fee instrument, then the bounced check procedure is implemented and pursuant to 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7) (ii), the finance center will issue a bounced check notification.

As of August 7, 2009, approximately 44,900 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

USCIS has received 8,974 H-2B petitions for the first half of FY 2010. It has approved 8,183 and 791 are pending.

As of August 14, 2009, approximately 45,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions and approximately 20,000 petitions qualifying for the advanced degree cap exemption had been filed. USCIS will continue to accept both cap-subject petitions and advanced degree petitions until a sufficient number of H-1B petitions have been received to reach the statutory limits, taking into account the fact that some of these petitions may be denied, revoked, or withdrawn.

USCIS has received 8,974 H-2B petitions for the first half of FY 2010. It has approved 8,183 and 791 are pending.

Supporting Documentation for all concurrently E-Filed applications must be submitted as a single package to the same USCIS processing location identified on the Confirmation Receipt notice for the primary form.

When E-Filing Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, by itself or concurrently with any other form, please send the associated Supporting Documentation to the appropriate address. 

For address please check attachment:

DOL Announcemes of Public Briefings on Using the New H-2B Temporary Labor Certification Process for Occupations Other Than Agriculture or Registered Nursing. For detail please check federal notice below:

[Federal Register: August 21, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 161)]
[Notices]
[Page 42331]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21au09-99]

[[Page 42331]]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announces the postponement of the commencement date of the H-2A and H-2B Temporary Worker Visa Exit Program Pilot, originally set for August 1, 2009.  The pilot program will require temporary workers within H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant classifications that enter the United States at either the port of San Luis, Arizona or the port of Douglas, Arizona, to depart from one of those ports and to submit certain biographical and biometric information at one of the kiosks established for this purpose.