CRS Report On Visa Waiver Program
Please check the attachment.
Please check the attachment.
We have received two interesting B-2 extensions. It has been my view that under certain circumstances B-2 can and should be permitted by USCIS to be used even where the applicant has an immigrant intent or is otherwise staying longer than usual in USA. Apparently, USCIS agrees.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it has completed the installation of its Digital Audio Recording (DAR) system in all of its courtrooms, four weeks ahead of schedule. The DAR system is a state-of-theart recording tool designed to achieve a better quality and more easily accessible recording of immigration court hearings.
On August 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law Public Law 111-230. The new law contains provisions that require petitioners to pay an additional $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and an additional $2,250 for certain L-1 petitions. To begin public outreach on this legislation, USCIS held a teleconference on August 19, 2010 to share how USCIS will implement it.
We had a Labor certification case filed for an IT professional. The requirements were Bachelor's degree and 5 years of experience. We filed I-140 under EB-2 category. After approximately 8 months, USCIS sent us an RFE saying Bachelor's plus five years would not qualify under EB2 unless the experience required is progressive in nature. We knew that USCIS was wrong under the circumstances of the case, but an argument with the government was unnecessary because the EB-3 priority dates were then current.
Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC
Question Taken at the September 7, 2010 Daily Press Briefing
September 8, 2010
Here is a commonly encountered situation for AOS applicants (I-485 pending) from our clients-only extranet:
The following statistics released by USDOS note the percentage of B visas that were refused by US consulates world-wide.
Afghanistan 56.0%
Albania 37.7%
Algeria 21.9%
Andorra 100.0%
Angola 21.4%
Antigua and Barbuda 19.7%
Argentina 3.1%
Armenia 51.4%
Australia 23.7%
Austria 11.5%
Azerbaijan 13.5%
Bahrain 4.1%
Bangladesh 36.4%
Barbados 10.2%
Belarus 19.7%
Belgium 13.2%
Belize 33.4%
Benin 39.7%
Bhutan 64.1%
Bolivia 23.8%
Bosnia-Herzegovina 9.7%
Botswana 13.9%
Brazil 5.2%
State Department has published the following press release.
Press Releases 2010
U.S. ambassador announces more convenient U.S. visa application process
November 18, 2010
At the October 28, 2010, stakeholder meeting with the U.S. Department of Labor, DOL discussed their increased staffing capability and a corresponding increased scrutiny of cases where the employer fails to respond to an Audit Notification letter or submits an incomplete response to such a letter. Where DOL identifies a substantial failure by the employer to provide required documentation in response to an Audit Notification letter, DOL indicated that we can expect to see more debarment and/or revocation proceedings.
Here is a question from one of our corporate clients:
Let's say hypothetically an employer hires someone for 20 hours a week for clerical office work who is in the U.S. on a student visa.