Tips to Locate and Print Automated Form I-94 and Travel History
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has fully implemented its program to automate Form I-94 at all air and seaports. CBP also provides the arrival and departure records going back five years for nonimmigrants. Their website provides limited access to records maintained in the CBP’s Nonimmigrant Information System (NIIS). Accordingly, only the last issued I-94 and limited travel history can be obtained through the website. There is an extensive FAQ on the website that addresses the most common issues. Also, the system is passport driven. Consequently, every passport number used by the foreign national for the past five years must… Read more
March Visa Bulletin Sees Huge Jump for EB-2 India – Not Much for Others
The March 2015 Visa Bulletin very unexpectedly provides a huge jump forward for EB-2 India to 01JAN2007 – a leap of 16 months! Last month the Department of State predicted a movement of between 4 – 6 months. There is no word from them this month as to why the big jump this month or what we can expect in the coming months. One theory would be that they are opening up the gates to see what volume of cases come in, and then over the next few months they’ll slow or stop the forward movement, or even retrogress them…. Read more
Update on Immigration Executive Actions
On February 24, 2015, the immigration service (USCIS) announced that effective May 25, 2015, they are extending employment eligibility to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. H-4 spouses will be eligible to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) if their H-1B spouse is the beneficiary of an approved I-140 immigrant petition, or their H-1B spouse has been granted a 1-year or 3-year H-1B extension under AC21. On February 16, 2015, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen issued a temporary injunction against the implementation of the Obama Administration’s executive actions on… Read more
H-1B Season is Fast Approaching – Time to Get Those Petitions Ready
The H-1B filing period for FY2016 is quickly approaching. On April 1, 2015, the immigration service (USCIS) will begin accepting petitions for a start date of no earlier than October 1, 2015. It is never a good idea to wait until late into March to start getting petitions ready to file. The Department of Labor’s (DOL) processing time alone for the Labor Condition Application (LCA), while required to be within 7 days, typically lengthens as the volume increases in February and March. And USCIS will reject any H-1B petition that is submitted without a certified LCA. Additionally, if the petitioner… Read more