As of 27 April 2012 count, USCIS has received 29,200 regular cap H-1 B petitions and 12,300 advanced degree H-1B petitions. These numbers are considerably higher than the ones we saw at this time in the fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (we are now in FY 2013).
This entry is now old law. The new law is at http://www.immigration.com/blogs/i-140-ead-regulations-effective-17-jan…
5 November 2015: After some flip flops, USCIS has gone back to allowing carry forward of priority dates even if I-140 is revoked by employer - as described in this discussion. So, we are good for now.
State Department has indicated that as of 11 April 2012 there are no more immigrant visas (green cards) available for China and India-born EB2 applicants. The numbers will be reset on 1 October 2012, the start of the new fiscal year. In the meantime, USCIS will continue to accept I-485 filings until the end of June based upon the Visa Bulletin that will be published in May. No action will be taken on these applications until October, but its is expected that EAD/AP's will be issued.
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.