U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the launch of a new program called eProcessing as part of USCIS’s effort to transition to a digital business model. eProcessing allows applicants to apply for a benefit, communicate with USCIS, and receive a decision on a case. The new technology connects previously separate technology systems within the
The June visa bulletin reflects minimal movement from the prior month in several preference classifications and a significant retrogression for EB-1 India. EB-1 Priority Workers for All Chargeability Areas: El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines and Vietnam advance 7 weeks to a cut-off date of April 22, 2018. EB-1 China has no movement and remains at February
The Social Security Administration (SSA) began sending no-match letters to companies who have at least one W-2 employee whose social security number does not match the SSA’s records. Since March 2019, the SSA has issued nearly 600,000 such letters. Receiving a no-match does not necessarily mean that an affected employee is not work authorized; therefore,
USCIS has completed its computer-generated H-1B petitions selection process under the lottery for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The government reported receipt of 201,011 H-B petitions during the brief filing period in early April 2019. USCIS had started the lottery process with the selection of the H-1B petitions submitted on behalf of all beneficiaries and followed
The May visa bulletin continues to reflect very minimal movement from the prior month. EB-1 Priority Workers for All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam advance just 1 month to a cut-off date of March 1, 2018. EB-1 China and India have no movement and remain at February 22, 2017. EB-2 “Members of
With the H-1B filing season wrapping up, USCIS has implemented a data hub for H-1B employers. The new database is intended to provide information to the general public on companies submitting H-1B petitions for foreign workers. This is part of the government’s efforts to increase transparency in employment-based nonimmigrant visa programs. The database would allow searches for H-1B
The April visa bulletin continues to reflect very minimal movement from the prior month. EB-1 Priority Workers for All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam advance just 1 month to a cut-off date of February 1, 2018. EB-1 China and India have no movement and remain at February 22, 2017. EB-2 “Members of the Professions
The US government has significantly ramped up its enforcement efforts in the recent years. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) initiated 6,848 worksite investigations which reflects a more than 300% increase from FY 2017. The number of I-9 employment eligibility verification compliance audits has also increased: nearly 6,000 audits were conducted in
The March visa bulletin continues to reflect very minimal progress from the prior month. EB-1 Priority Workers for All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam advance just 1 month to a cut-off date of January 1, 2018. EB-1 China and India advance only 2 weeks to February 22, 2017. EB-2 “Members of the Professions Holding
H-1B Season is Nearing! April 1, 2019 marks the beginning of the new H-1B petition filing season with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently published a final rule amending H-1B regulations governing H-1B cap-subject petitions which will go into effect April 1, 2019. The rule reverses the order