The Department has published a notice in the Federal Register establishing new prevailing wage rates for certain occupations processed under H-2A special procedures. The wage rates established by this Federal Register notice apply only to the following activities: open range production of livestock, itinerant animal shearing, sheepherding and goatherding, and custom combine operations. To read the Federal Register notice please click here.
The Department has published a notice in the Federal Register announcing new Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) for each state based on the Farm Labor Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The AEWRs are the minimum hourly wage rates the Department has determined must be offered and paid by employers to H-2A workers and workers in corresponding employment for a particular agricultural job and area so that the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers will not be adversely affected.
My Year 2004's Pakistan Visit Experience:
Applied for my H1B stamp
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1. I came to Pakistan in June 15, 2004 with I-797 H1B approval notice
2. Applied for US visa stamp within a week or two
3. Got my passport back with interview req. after 2 weeks of application
4. Went the following day and showed them the following documents
a. I-797 H1B approval notice
b. Job Letter
c. Two recent paystubs
5. I was asked briefly about my job duties and was told that I'll get my passport back after security clearance
I would like to share my latest H1B visa stamping experience Islambad. My brief background: I came to US first in Aug 2004 on F1 visa with my wife and kid on F2 visas. We visited Pakistan in Jun 2006 while on F1. My H1B status started in Oct 2007. We came to Pakistan in last week of December 2008 and needed to obtain H1B visas to return back to USA. We got our appointment for Jan 9, 2009. VO asked few general questions related to job etc. and examined my original educational documents, letter from my employer, my tax returns and my salary slips.
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 13 (Friday, January 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4154-4155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00908]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[DHS-2011-0108]
RIN 1601-ZA11
Identification of Foreign Countries Whose Nationals Are Eligible To Participate in the H-2A and H-2B Nonimmigrant Worker Programs
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, DHS.
We filed an H-1 application for a Bonsai Nursery/Facility Manager. USCIS issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) challenging whether or not a specific Bachelor’s level education is required for this position. We filed a detailed response, with voluminous evidence the specialized nature of the job. We urged USCIS to consider the merits of the job description and what it would take to perform the job. We argued job titles alone are not dispositive of the nature of a job.
USCIS approved the application.
I encourage you to sign a petition I have drafted at the request of our community urging the Obama Administration to reinstate reissuance of nonimmigrant visas (including work visas like H-1, student visas like F-1, and family visas) within the USA, a practice that was discontinued in 2004. If the petition receives 100,000 on-line signatures by February 23, the Administration will review it, send it to the appropriate policy experts in the administration, and issue an official response. Signing the petition takes only a few minutes.