Immigration News  |
| Changes in immigration that impact your life. |
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| May 2014 Visa Bulletin: EB-3 priority dates remain stagnant for most countries |
| April 11, 2014 |
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| In the recently published U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin for May 2014, the EB-2 priority dates remained current in respect of all countries other than India and mainland China. The EB-2 priority date remained at 11/15/04 in respect to India, even as EB-3 priority date for India advanced marginally to 10/01/03. EB-3 priority dates remained unmoved for all countries except India and Philippines. |
| H1B Cap 2015: VisaPro’s H1B Predictions Hit the Bull's-Eye |
| April 11, 2014 |
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| In the run-up to the H-1B cap 2015 filing season, VisaPro had predicted that intense competition will significantly bring down the odds of winning the FY 2015 H-1B lottery, and only 2 out of 4 petitions filed will be selected in the FY 2015 H-1B lottery. USCIS has announced that it received about 172,500 H-1B petitions subject to the FY 2015 cap, for the 85,000 H-1B visas, during the filing period which began April 1, 2014. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| April 09, 2014 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2014 employment. As of April 4, 2014, USCIS has approved approximately 15,824 beneficiaries for the 2nd half of FY 2014. |
| USCIS Reaches FY 2015 H-1B Cap - Will Conduct H-1B Lottery |
| April 07, 2014 |
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| USCIS has announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS will now conduct a computer-generated process (H-1B Lottery) to randomly select the number of petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 under the advanced degree exemption. USCIS has, however, not yet announced the date on which it will conduct the H-1B Lottery. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| April 02, 2014 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2014 employment. As of March 28, 2014, USCIS has approved approximately 13,741 beneficiaries for the 2nd half of FY 2014. |
| FY 2015 H-1B Filings: USCIS Anticipates H-1B Cap to Reach by April 7 |
| March 27, 2014 |
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| USCIS will begin accepting H1B petitions subject to FY 2015 cap on 04/01/14. USCIS anticipates that the H-1B cap will be met in the first 5 business days of the filing season, and it will receive more petitions than the H-1B cap between April 1, 2014 and April 7, 2014. USCIS will use a random selection process (H-1B Lottery) if it receives more petitions than it can accept. USCIS will also begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than April 28, 2014. |
| April 2014 Visa Bulletin: No Advancement of EB-2, EB-3 Priority Dates for India |
| March 10, 2014 |
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| In the recently published U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin for April 2014, the EB-2 priority dates remained current in respect of all countries other than India and mainland China. The EB-2 and EB-3 priority dates remained at 11/15/04 and 9/15/03 in respect to India. EB-2 priority dates advanced marginally from 02/15/09 to 03/08/09 in respect to mainland China. EB-3 priority dates also advanced marginally for all countries including India. |
| TPS Extended for Haitians |
| March 04, 2014 |
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| USCIS has announced that the Secretary of Homeland Security will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Haiti for an additional 18 months, effective July 23, 2014 through January 22, 2016. Current Haitian beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during a 60-day period that runs from March 3, 2014, through May 2, 2014. The extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). |
| Chile Designated Into the Visa Waiver Program |
| March 03, 2014 |
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| The Department of Homeland Security has announced the designation of Chile into the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Starting May 1, 2014, eligible Chilean passport holders with both an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and an e-passport will be able to visit the United States without nonimmigrant visitor visas. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| February 11, 2014 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2014 employment. As of February 7, 2014, USCIS has approved approximately 26,026 beneficiaries for the 1st half of FY 2014. |
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