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.
USCIS and allied agencies responsible for immigration are using information on social networking sites (such as Facebook) to track the activities and postings made by immigration benefits applicants/beneficiaries for evidence of fraudulent activity. While, on principle I agree with deterring fraud, but the "big brother" stance of USCIS is deplorable. Beware folks - big brother is watching. Something you post even in jest may not be that funny in the hands of a govt. officer whose career is dedicated to finding fraud.
On August 13, 2010, President Obama signed Public Law 111-230, which contains provisions to increase certain H-1B and L-1 petition fees. The law, which already in effect, requires the submission of an additional fee of $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $2,250 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions.vUSCIS has clarified certain matters that employers should bear in mind.
Questions and Answers
Q. To which petitioners does the new fee apply?