Mar
30
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have announced they will begin accepting 2008 H-1B petitions on Monday, April 2, 2007. Petitions that arrive during the weekend (31MAR07) and (01APR07) will not be rejected, but will be processed until April 2.
USCIS will announce when the agency has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap, known as the “final receipt date”.
For more information visit www.USCIS.gov.
Mar
30
Police in Huntington Park, Los Angeles are preparing for the high school walkouts planned today in honor of Cesar Chavez Day.
The walkouts are part of a campaign to make Cesar Chavez Day a recognized national holiday.
Huntington Park Police Chief Michael J. Trevis says, “The Huntington Park Police Department and surrounding police agencies are currently preparing for potential school walkouts and subsequent unlawful activity which may follow. The Huntington Park Police Department is working with local principals and the school district police in an effort to encourage students to stay in school and discourage any unlawful activity associated with walkouts.” Read more
Mar
29
Ask Chris: H-1B Credentials
Filed Under Ask Chris, H-1B Visa | Leave a Comment
Q: What is a H1-B specialty occupation?
A: A H-1B Specialty occupation is any occupation that for the most part requires a BA or 12 years experience as the entry requirement into that profession.
Mar
29
House Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on American Immigration
Filed Under Immigration News | Leave a Comment
The House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law will convene on Ellis Island on Friday, March 30, for a hearing entitled “Past, Present, and Future: A Historic and Personal Reflection on American Immigration.”
This hearing, which will take place at 11am in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Ellis Island, New York, will be the first in a series of immigration-focused hearings led by Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
Mar
26
Ask Chris: H-1B Renewal
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Q: How many years does the H-1B visa last?
A: The H-1B lasts initially for 3 years but can be extended beyond 6 years if the applicant has a green card application pending. If you’re really lucky, a H-1B employer will also be prepared to sponsor you for your green card and although this could take 4-5 years to complete, your H-1B will cover you until the process is indeed complete.
Mar
26
Ask Chris: H-1B Visa Filing Fees
Filed Under Ask Chris, H-1B Visa | Leave a Comment
Q: How many H1B visas are available annually and how much are the filing fees?
A: The filing fees vary depending on the number of employees the company already hires. If they hire less than 25, then you’re looking at $1,500 in filing fees - if they hire more then the fees would be around $2,250.
Attorney fees would be another $3,500 on top, so its quite expensive - which is why many companies don’t bother. Having said that, all 58,000 H-1B visas that will become available from April 1st will most likely be gone in a matter of weeks - so there are far more people willing to pay the fees than there are visas available.
Mar
21
Prospective Bill Allows Legal Re-Entry for Illegal Immigrants
Filed Under Immigration News | Leave a Comment
A prospective bill in the US House of Representatives would, if passed, allow illegal immigrants to leave the US and then re-enter legally before becoming permanent residents.
Congressmen Luis Gutierrez of Illinois and Jeff Flake of Arizona are expected to announce the bill tomorrow (22MAR07).
House Republicans passed a bill last year (06) that would have made being in the US illegally a felony.
Flake and Gutierrez’s bill will allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country on six-year work visas, effective June (01JUN07).
To read more about this story, click here.
Mar
21
Brazilians who wish to travel to the US will find the process a lot easier now that they no longer have to go through a consular official.
According to the US embassy in Brazil, Brazilians who wish to renew a visa are no longer required to have an interview with an official, effective April 2 (07).
Those who require a renewal on a valid visa or one that has not expired for more than a year are will still have to make an interview at the embassy to deliver their passport and documents as well as to get fingerprinted.
The new procedure will speed up waiting times for would-be tourists from all four US consulates in Brazil: Brasília, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
To read more about this story, click here.
Mar
21
Lawmakers across the US want more laws passed to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants.
Legislators in states including Arizona, Missouri, Montana, Virginia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Kansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma are considering a number of options to deal with the problem, including prohibiting violators from obtaining state contracts, fining businesses and suspending their licenses, and requiring the signing of affidavits by employers stating they do not knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Read more
Mar
20
An Iranian man in San Fernando Valley, California has been sentenced to 30 months in prison after he was discovered to be filing fraudulent employment visa applications for foreign nationals wishing to live and work in the US.
Henry Hossein Haghighi Heguman, 61, is well-known in the Iranian community for appearances on various Farsi-language media outlets.
The self-styled “immigration consultant” was sentenced by United States District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew on two counts of immigration fraud, conspiracy, and two counts of money laundering.
To read more about this story, click here.