Apr
4
USCIS Reaches 2008 H-1B Cap
Filed Under H-1B Visa, Immigration News | Leave a Comment
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that enough H-1B applications have been received to meet the cap for the fiscal year 2008.
150,000 applications were received by Monday afternoon, of which only 65,000 will be granted visas.
This means that the official “final receipt date” is April 2, 2007.
USCIS will randomly select from all applications received on April 2, 2007 and April 3, 2007. All applications that do not make the random selection will be returned along with the filing fee(s).
To read more about this story, click here.
Apr
3
US immigration lawyer Chris M. Ingram explains how to ensure you get the best possible service from your immigration attorney and how to avoid the many pitfalls involved in immigration law.
As immigration from the UK to the US has expanded greatly over recent years, so-called immigration companies have sprung up everywhere. Brits desperate to relocate are losing thousands of pounds, even their life savings, because they put their trust in a company that turned out to not be legitimate.
So how do you avoid being fooled?
The first thing you should do is make sure that the only person you speak to is qualified to answer your legal questions. For example, if you were having major heart surgery, would you discuss it with a receptionist, nurse or doctor/surgeon performing the surgery? Obviously, you’d want to talk it over with the doctor/surgeon. So why, when it comes to immigration, do so many talk to sales people with no license to practice law?
In short, you should make sure that when it comes to US immigration you only discuss your case with a US-licensed attorney at law - this means that the person you speak to must themselves have passed the American Bar Association State Bar Exam in at least one US state. This is a minimum requirement. Read more
Apr
3
2008 H-1B Visa Cap Reached?
Filed Under H-1B Visa, Immigration News | Leave a Comment
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may soon automatically reject incoming H-1B visa applications due to the 65,000 cap having already been reached.
Processing on the H-1B visas began on Monday (02APR07). 65,000 visas will be issued for the 2008 fiscal year which will begin in October 2007. An additional 20,000 H-1B visas will be granted to applicants with advanced degrees from US colleges.
A USCIS spokeswoman states that the USCIS service offices in Vermont and California have hired extra staff to cope with the influx of mail on Monday and Tuesday (04APR07), reporting “significant increases in the amount of mail” they receive.
She says, “We’ve hired extra staff to work in the mailroom and sort through it. Right now, H-1B is still open. But once we state the final accept date, we’ll stop accepting them and petitions will be rejected.”
Apr
2
Ellis Island Immigration Building Reopens
Filed Under Green Card, Immigration News | Leave a Comment
An immigration complex on Ellis Island, New Jersey that stood abandoned for decades reopened yesterday (01APR07), after undergoing a thorough restoration.
The Ferry Building, closed in 1954, was the last stop in a long process of legal and health inspections for newly-arrived immigrants to the US. More than 12 million immigrants entered the US through Ellis Island, and as many as 5,000 people passed through the processing center daily in the early 1900s.
Columbia University history professor Kenneth Jackson says, “Every square inch has significance to American history.”
Director of program development and administration for Save Ellis Island (the organization that helped organize the $6.4 million restoration project) Elizabeth Jeffery says, “This was one of the happiest places on the island.”
To read more about this story, click here.
Apr
2
H-1B Visa Processing Begins
Filed Under H-1B Visa | Leave a Comment
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has started processing the 2007 batch of H-1B applications. Approximately 65,000 visas are available, most of which will be granted in the next six weeks.
In 2006, federal officials granted 65,000 H-1B visas by May, a new record in the speed with which the visas were given.
Immigration attorney Steve Navarre of Des Plaines says, “This year, it’s the worst ever. If it stays open a week, that’ll surprise me.”
To read more about this story, click here.