Notable points:
Note From Rajiv:
There is nothing new in this memo that we have not encountered before. What USCIS has said in this memo is that the IT title “Programmer” is not necessarily a job that requires a degree AND further a degree in specific discipline. If we claim otherwise, we have to prove our case. We have to do that in many, many cases anyway. Like I noted earlier, this is not new.
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
Monday, April 3, 2017
BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
This blog entry details the text and the developments in Trump's Execeutive Order dated 27 January that is commonly being dubbed as the "Muslim ban." We intend to keep this updated from day to day.
2 February 2017
Successful H-1 visa stamping: One of our clients had H-1 visa re-stamped at the Hyderabad consulate on Tuesday 31 January 2017. No issues!
Successful H-4 visa stamping and entry: I have just received this message from one of our clients:
We are reproducing below an letter to Donald Trump by Congressman Filemon Vela: "Mr. Trump, you’re a racist and you can take your border wall and shove it up your ass." The highlights are ours.
DHS has asked for an additional extension of stay to 10 May 2016 of the court order under which the STEM extension of OPT was invalidated by the DC federal court. DHS needs time to review appx. 50,500 comments they have received on the new proposed regulations. Historical discussion pertaining to the lawsuit is at this link: http://www.immigration.com/blogs/17-month-stem-cap-gap-opt-extension-voided-court
This is the latest release from USCIS. I think they are misreading the fees requirement. The law seemed to require higher fees only for L-1 employee counts (see my highlighted comments below under 19 December 2015 entry). The current USCIS release counts both L-1 and H-1 employees even for H-1 filing fees. We will wait and see if this clarified
USCIS is in the process of implementing a proposed “significant public benefit” parole program for entrepreneurs. This is one of the executive actions on immigration announced by President Obama on November 20, 2014.
In tomorrow's community conference call, one of the community members has raised the issue whether receiving certain kinds of State benefits becomes an issue for immigration. The concern is well-founded in that receiving public (Federal or State) means tested (that depend upon the amount of income/expense) can lead to a determination that an applicant can become dependent upon government resources ("public charge").