Immigration News  |
| Changes in immigration that impact your life. |
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| USCIS Announces Inability to Approve Form I-800 for Adoptions from Vietnam |
| February 04, 2012 |
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| USCIS has announced that until further notice, it will not be able to approve any Form I-800 that is filed on behalf of a child to be adopted from Vietnam. Because U.S. prospective adoptive parents cannot complete the immigration process for an adopted child from Vietnam, USCIS has urged parents to not file any Form I-800 on behalf of a child to be adopted from Vietnam, and not to file Form I-800A, identifying Vietnam as the country from which they seek to adopt. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| February 01, 2012 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2012 employment. As of January 27, 2012, USCIS has received filings on behalf of approximately 29,301 beneficiaries, and approved approximately, 21,689 H2B beneficiaries against the cap amount of 33,000 for the 1st half of FY 2012. |
| DHS Proposes Reforms to Attract and Retain Highly Skilled Immigrants |
| February 01, 2012 |
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| DHS has announced a series of administrative reforms that are aimed to make the U.S. more attractive to highly-skilled foreign students and workers. A few notable initiatives announced include providing work authorization for spouses of certain H-1B holders; expanding eligibility for extension of OPT; allowing E-3 and H-1B1 visa holders to continue employment with their current employer for up to 240 days from the expiration of their authorized period of stay, if a petition to extend their status has been timely filed; and increasing the types of evidence that employers can submit to demonstrate that a Professor or Researcher is among the very best in their field. DHS has only indicated that these administrative reforms will be completed in the future, but has not given clear timelines as to when these reforms would become effective. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| January 24, 2012 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2012 employment. As of January 20, 2012, USCIS has received filings on behalf of approximately 25,993 beneficiaries, and approved approximately, 18,220 H2B beneficiaries against the cap amount of 33,000 for the 1st half of FY 2012. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| January 18, 2012 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the fiscal year 2012 employment. As of January 13, 2012, USCIS has received filings on behalf of approximately 22,817 beneficiaries, and approved approximately, 16,571 H2B beneficiaries against the cap amount of 33,000 for the 1st half of FY 2012. |
| USCIS Announces 58 Countries Whose Nationals are Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Participation |
| January 18, 2012 |
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| USCIS has announced that the DHS has identified 58 countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs for the coming year. In addition to the 53 countries currently on the list, five countries, namely, Haiti, Iceland, Montenegro, Spain, and Switzerland, have been designated for the first time this year. Each country’s designation is valid for one year from the date of publication. This new list does not immediately affect the status of beneficiaries who are currently in the United States in H-2A or H-2B status, unless they apply to change or extend their status. |
| H2B Cap Count Update |
| January 15, 2012 |
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| USCIS has updated the count of H2B visa petitions received and counted towards the H2B cap for the first half of fiscal year 2012 employment. As of January 07, 2012, USCIS has received filings on behalf of approximately 20,207 beneficiaries, and approved approximately, 14,287 H2B beneficiaries against the cap amount of 33,000 for the 1st half of FY 2012. |
| February 2012 Visa Bulletin: EB-2 Priority Dates for India and China reach 01/01/10 |
| January 15, 2012 |
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| In the recently published U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin for February 2012, the EB-2 priority dates for India and China have moved significantly to January 01,2010 from January 01, 2009 in the January 2012 Visa Bulletin. Meanwhile, the EB-2 numbers for other countries remained current, along with EB-1, EB-4, and EB-5 numbers for all countries. In the EB-3 category, the priority dates for professionals and skilled workers advanced from 10/15/04 to 12/01/04 in respect of China; from 08/08/02 to 08/15/02 in respect of India; and from 02/01/06 to 02/22/06 in respect of all other countries. In the EB-3 Other Workers category, the priority dates remained at 04/22/03 in respect of China, but advanced from 08/01/02 to 08/15/02 in respect of India; and from 02/01/06 to 02/22/06 in respect of all other countries. |
| TPS Extended for Salvadorans |
| January 11, 2012 |
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| DHS has announced extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of El Salvador for an additional 18 months, beginning March 10, 2012, and ending Sept. 9, 2013. Current Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs through March 12, 2012. The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit a Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status and a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, regardless of whether they are applying for an EAD. |
| Chennai Consulate not to process Immigrant Visa petitions |
| January 06, 2012 |
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| The U.S. Consulate in Chennai has announced that it will no longer process Immigrant Visa petitions, as of January 1, 2012. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will become the only acceptance centers in India for Immigrant Visas. |
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