On August 24, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed a new rule that would benefit foreign entrepreneurs of startup companies that would provide significant public benefit to the United States through substantial and demonstrated potential for rapid…
Yearly Archives: 2016
USCIS Proposes Fee Increase
On May 4, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a proposal to increase its current fee schedule. The table below highlights the changes to some of the most common petitions/applications affected by this recent proposal. Note that both…
Posted in Updates
Diversity Visa (DV) 2017 Lottery Results Now Available
Beginning May 3, 2016, applicants for the DV-2017 lottery may enter their confirmation information into the DV Entrant Status Check to see if they have been selected for the green card lottery. DV-2017 applicants should keep their confirmation number until…
FY 2017 H-1B Cap Timeline — Have You Been Selected?
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that it has completed its data entry of cap-subject H-1B petitions for fiscal year 2017. This means that many lucky applicants have received or will receive their H-1B receipt notice soon.…
STEM OPT: New Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its F-1 nonimmigrant student visa regulations on optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from U.S. institutions of higher education. Specifically, the final…
Posted in Updates
The (Annual) H-1B Silly Season
By Tien-Li Loke Walsh The H-1B season starts on April 1, 2016 when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting H-1B visa petitions for FY 2017-2018 (i.e. an October 1, 2016 start-date). For the last 3 years, USCIS reached…
Update On Visa Waiver Changes
Travelers planning to visit the United States are already facing surprises based on the new restrictions of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) that were implemented as part of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act. Based on…
Posted in Updates
“240-Day Rule” Expansion, H-1B & L-1 Filing Fees, Visa Waiver Changes & More
E-3, H-1B1 and CW-1 Nonimmigrants are Now Eligible for “240-Day” Rule On January 13, 2016, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has amended its regulations to provide relief for nonimmigrants in H-1B1 (specialty occupations from Chile,…
Posted in Updates
