The Department of State announced yesterday that effective March 3, 2011, the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, India would limit the number of applicants it can process due to the building's aging infrastructure. While a new multi-million dollar facility is under construction (scheduled to open later this year), the current facility of the consulate seems incapable [...]
The Los Angeles Times has requested and been able to obtain statistics from USCIS regarding the adjudication rates for H, L, O and P petitions for the Vermont and California Service Centers since Fiscal Year 2008 (FY2008). The statistics are current as of July 2010 and provide a very helpful overview of approval, denial and [...]
Many of our readers and clients are aware of the recent developments with respect to the "border security bill" passed by Congress and recently signed by President Obama into law (Public Law 111-230). What Are the New H-1B and L-1 Filing Fees? Effective immediately, Public Law 111-230 requires the submission of an additional fee of [...]
During a recent AILA conference, the Vermont Service Center (VSC) Director Dan Renaud told the audience that the performance review structure for adjudicating officers has recently changed. Pursuant to the new performance review structure, officers get credit for issuance of Requests for Evidence (RFES), in addition to issuing approvals and denials, under the previous performance [...]
The American Immigration Lawyers' Association (AILA) has provided some guidance and information from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Newark, New Jersey airport. Background Starting in December of 2009, our office has been receiving alerts from current and prospective clients about a number of incidents where holders of valid H-1B stamps were questioned and, [...]
Now that the H-1B quota has been reached (as of December 21, 2009), we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries by both cap-subject employers and prospective employees about the alternatives for work authorization between now and October 1, 2010, when the new fiscal year's H-1B quota would begin (as a reminder, April 1, 2010 [...]