Monday, March 9, 2015, is the deadline for current El Salvador Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries to re-register for the 18-month extension of TPS that runs from March 10, 2015, through Sept. 9, 2016. The law requires USCIS to withdraw TPS for failure to re-register without good cause. Therefore, if you fail to re-register by this deadline, you may lose your TPS and your work authorization.
This policy memorandum (PM) provides guidance on the adjudication of H-1B petitions for nursing positions. Specifically, this PM assists U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers in determining whether or not a nursing position meets the definition of a specialty occupation. This PM supersedes any prior guidance on the subject.
Please check the attached document to read USCIS Policy memo.
This notice provides an update of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) poverty guidelines to account for last calendar year's increase in prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index.
Please check the attached document for HHS Poverty Guidelines 2015.
USCIS has published a revised Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative. The revised form G-28 is part of a final rule that became effective on Jan. 27, 2015.
About Form G-28
AAO Processing Times as of March 1, 2015
| Form Number |
Case Type |
Time |
|---|---|---|
| I-129CW | CNMI-Only Nonimmigrant Transitional Worker | 6 months or less |
|
I-129F |
Petition for Fiancée |
6 months or less |
|
I-129 H1B |
As of March 5, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is temporarily suspending adjudication of Form I-129 H-2B petitions for temporary non-agricultural workers while the government considers the appropriate response to the court order entered March 4, 2015, in Perez v. Perez, No. 3:14-cv-682 (N.D. Florida, Mar. 4, 2015).
If you are a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiary who is eligible to re-register for TPS but did not file your application before the deadline for your re-registration period, USCIS reminds you to follow the guidance on our TPS web page under “Filing Late.”
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during April. Consular officers are required to report to the Department of State documentarily qualified applicants for numerically limited visas; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security reports applicants for adjustment of status.
To view Visa Bulletin for April 2015 Click Here.
PERM Processing Times (as of 3/10/2015)
|
Processing Queue |
Priority Dates |
|
|
Month |
Year |
|
|
Analyst Review |
October |
2014 |
The National Hockey League (NHL) requested USCIS to hold a teleconference during its annual conference. During that teleconference, NHL counsel posed several questions to USCIS. The question and answers are provided below (see attachment) for the benefit of interested stakeholders.In order to avoid repetition in the answers, USCIS notes that it stated several times that each petition mustestablish visa eligibility on its own merits. The Vermont Service Center (VSC) does not maintain acentral document depository for O and P nonimmigrant visa petitions.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched an enhanced Study in the States website Monday with four new features. The features enable the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), housed within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to convey pertinent information to stakeholders about the international student process in a clear and interactive manner.
The new features include:
Release Date: July 01, 2014
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Lori Scialabba will help USCIS celebrate our nation’s 238th birthday as the agency welcomes approximately 9,000 new U.S. citizens during more than 100 naturalization ceremonies across the country from June 30 to July 4.
On July 1, 2014, OFLC uploaded the newest prevailing wage data from the Occupational Employment Survey as generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the year from July 2014 - June 2015. The effective date is July 1, 2014. Prevailing wages issued from the National Prevailing Wage Center will reflect the new data.
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This chart shows the average amount of time it takes to receive a decision in a particular type of case after the case file is received by the AAO. Processing times are directly related to the volume of cases received.
|
AAO Processing Times as of July 1, 2014 |
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Rajiv S. Khanna participates as a special guest in a discussion with Voice of America on the Crisis of Children Refugees crossing the US borders from Mexico and thinks it is important first to understand that the problem is not of enforcement, but defect in laws. By passing a Comprehensive Immigration Reform a policy is put into place that is cohesive. Right now the policy does not jive with the way things are. As there is no law there is no policy. Hence having the immigration reform pass would not help in the sense of just stemming or shortening up the borders. It would help in implementing a policy that is coherent and in accord with the times today.
On April 1, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2016 cap. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering and computer programming.
The congressionally mandated cap on H-1B visas for FY 2016 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher are exempt from the 65,000 cap.