Search

From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [mailto:uscis@public.govdelivery.com]
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2011 11:54 AM
To:
Subject: USCIS Office of Public Engagement: Updates on Employment Based Visas and Transformation

Dear Stakeholder-

1) USCIS Announces Use of Fiscal Year 2011 Employment-Based Visa Allocations

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Released Sept. 19, 2011

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), marking a significant milestone in its efforts to provide relief to victims of crimes, has for the second straight year approved 10,000 petitions for U nonimmigrant status, also referred to as the U-visa.

On an annual basis, 10,000 U-visas are set aside for victims of crime who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to help law enforcement authorities investigate or prosecute crime.

ICE fact sheet provides information to designated School officials(DSOs) and responsible officers(ROs) in order to help F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa holders (including both primary and dependent status holders) obtain driver’s licenses or state identification cards.

US Labor Department postpones revising wage calculations for H-2B program. Delay avoids administering the H-2B program under potentially conflicting court orders.

Please check the attachment to see "Executive Summary Of TPS EAD Teleconference".

To see the report please check attachment.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) seeks public comments on a proposed rule published in the Federal Register today that would enable USCIS to process certain applications approved between 1995 and 1998 by immigrant investors under the fifth preference employment-based immigrant visa classification, also known as EB-5.

Is the employer permitted to use an electronic or web-based national professional journal instead of a print journal when conducting recruitment under the Department of Labor (Department) regulations at 20 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 656.18, Optional special recruitment and documentation procedures for college and university teachers?

Yes, an employer may use an electronic or web-based national professional journal to satisfy the regulatory provision at 20 CFR § 656.18(b)(3), which requires use of a national professional journal for advertisements for college or university teachers. The advertisement for the job opportunity for which certification is sought must be posted for at least 30 calendar days on the journal's website. Documentation of the placement of an advertisement in an electronic or web-based national professional journal must include evidence of the start and end dates of the advertisement placement and the text of the advertisement.

Revised September 28, 2011

The Department of Labor is working to incorporate new and/or revised Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes into the Permanent (PERM) Program online application system. Until the new codes are fully integrated, filers may experience situations where the new and/or revised, SOC codes are not available in the PERM online application system. Until such time as the new codes are incorporated, the Atlanta National Processing Center (ANPC) will accept the older SOC codes even though they may not match the code indicated on the Prevailing Wage Determination.

On Nov. 1, 2011, USCIS will introduce a new, more user-friendly version of the form used to report results of medical examinations for those seeking certain immigration benefits, Report of a Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, Form I-693. Civil surgeons completing medical examinations between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2011, should use the new form dated 10/11/11.

Blanket L Visa processing to move to the U.S. Consulate General in Chennai on December 1, 2011.

The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai will become the sole acceptance center in India for all applications for intra-company transfers under the blanket L category as of December 1, 2011.  The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad will no longer accept or process applications for this visa category.  The blanket L category includes specialized knowledge professionals, executives and managers.