VISA2US Blog

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of nearly every global industry. Some businesses use it to streamline their practices, making them more efficient and saving money. Others see the potential of AI as a way to shift their goals and blaze new paths. In the world of immigration, technology has begun revolutionizing the system, changing regulations, easing restrictions, and speeding up a notoriously lengthy process. What’s new on the horizon with AI and immigration? Read on to find out.

For decades, the US has relied upon foreign workers to fill vital positions in the labor market, including both skilled and unskilled jobs. In more recent years, the focus has shifted to ensure critical industries, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), are taken care of through work visas such as the H-1B. This program has been in place since 1990 and is run by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Since its implementation, the H-1B program has significantly impacted the US economy, and we’ll discuss the effects here.

The USCIS policy memo has adjusted the language of several EB1A regulatory criteria, in some cases rendering these criteria more readily applicable to our clients.

Foreign nationals enter the United States every year for various reasons, including work, tourism, and education. The visa they use to gain entry into the US depends on the reason for their visit. For international students, this is typically the F-1 status. However, only certain fields of study qualify for extensions that also permit work authorization. According to the latest updates from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there are eight new fields that fall under the STEM OPT degree and qualify for the two-year work authorization extension. We’ll break those fields down here.

If you’ve been paying attention to the H-1B visa petitions this year, you’ve seen the headlines about the record-setting FY 2024 lottery numbers. However, US Citizenship and Immigration Services attributes this high number to fraudulent attempts of registering multiple registrations of the same individuals. This significant issue heavily impacted the lottery system this year, causing USCIS to review and reform registration processes. But since new data shows that more than 75% of H-1B registrations amongst the individually filed petitions would’ve been rejected anyway, a deeper problem runs through this system. How is USCIS addressing the visible issues from FY 2024’s lottery? Read on to find out.

Much of the controversy surrounding foreign workers is based on the idea that it’s used to displace American workers with “cheaper” labor. This theory contends that employers will hire out jobs to foreigners willing to take less money, thus increasing the unemployment rates in the US. In reality, studies show that the H-1B visa program brings skilled labor to the country through workers who are paid better than the average American, as these workers are educated and enter professional fields where their fellow workers are paid well. In fact, H-1B visa salaries are on the rise, meaning the argument against “cheap labor” no longer holds water. What does this mean for employers and H-1B employees? We’ll explain here.

If you’ve been following immigration law in the United States, you know that what happens in one state often sets the stage for others to follow. That may be the case in Florida, where recent legislation has made it required for private employers with 25 or more workers to use E-Verify. This is the federal government’s database used to verify work authorization. What does this mean for employers of foreign national workers and the workers themselves? Read on to find out.

USCIS already expected to see a record number of applications for FY 2024 due to various factors, such as lifted pandemic restrictions and massive layoffs in the tech industry. But what wasn’t as predictable was the significant amount of attempted fraud that has been uncovered already. USCIS has caught almost half of the currently submitted applications as multiple registrants. Still, the government branch’s lack of action thus far leaves many questioning how this will affect legitimate applicants, as discussed here.

Foreign nationals with the right skills and experience are often in demand in other countries. If you have the talent and education, you can take a job anywhere in the world as long as you and your potential employer meet the requirements set by the government. In the United States, the first essential step is to ensure your potential employer is offering you a legitimate job and they are eligible to sponsor your H-1B visa. Before you get excited about a job offer and invest time and resources into the new position, read this short blog to see how you can find out if your potential employer is allowed to extend the offer to you as your sponsor.

If you're an H-1B employer, you already know that hiring foreign workers comes with a unique set of challenges. One of those challenges is navigating the complex world of immigration laws.  With the recent changes to the H-1B visa program and increased scrutiny of immigration policies, understanding the ins and outs of the visa process is more important than ever. In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about E-Verify as an H-1B employer, including how it works and the government’s plan to roll out E-Verify NextGen.