VISA2US Blog

Followers of the US immigration system have seen the headlines demanding change across the board, particularly in the H-1B employment-based visa category. Reformation is necessary to address the border security, substantial backlog in Green Cards, and imbalance in the number of H-1B allotted visas versus the demand. According to many proponents, one potential solution is the move from skill-based to merit-based immigration. What would this mean for immigrants and the US? Keep reading to find out.

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.

When you're a foreign national waiting in the virtual queue for your green card, the US Department of State's Visa Bulletin is a vital resource. This bulletin notifies applicants of the latest priority dates per category and country. When yours is current, you can apply to move your green card forward to the next step. October's Visa Bulletin is officially out, and we've summarized the information in the document for you here.

The H-1B visa system is a popular avenue used by skilled foreign workers to expand their professional skills across borders and into the United States. While there are numerous benefits that come with this visa category, the downside to an H-1B is the need to wait for strict filing dates and hope that your registration is chosen in the random lottery, where a cap of 65,000 regular and 20,000 advanced registrants are selected to move forward and file a petition. But there’s a way around this limitation if you can find a cap-exempt employer, and those in the scholarly field often meet the conditions to do this quite naturally. Read on to find out if a scholar you know (or you yourself) can skip the lottery process and obtain an H-1B more easily.

There are many legal avenues provided to foreign nationals who wish to enter the United States through a visa. The type of visa necessary for each person depends on factors like their reason for entry, how long they plan to stay, and what they intend to do once they’re in the US. Two of the most popular visa categories are the H-1B and L-1B. Although they sound similar, they’re distinctly different. In this blog, we’ll compare and contrast each one to help you understand which is best for your needs.

National Interest Waivers are a special kind of document that allows the foreign beneficiary to live and work in the US without a job sponsor. To qualify, the individual must prove that their skills and expertise make them of “national interest,” which can be a significant challenge. Many careers fall into this realm naturally, including those in STEM and healthcare fields. However, as an attorney, you can challenge the government with evidence that shows you, too, are crucial, and we’ll explain how to do that here.

The Visa Bulletin, released monthly by the US Department of State, is read by those visa petitioners still awaiting their priority dates and forward movement for their green cards. Usually, this document is mostly predictable with the occasional surprising changes, but September 2023’s bulletin brings some major news that we’ll explain here.

There are many benefits that make the H-1B visa one of the most coveted work visas available. One of these advantages is that one visa holder can work for multiple employers simultaneously, provided that any additional companies file the H-1B petition. Although the beneficiary already holds the H-1B visa, the new employer must receive authorization to hire them through USCIS via a process called the Concurrent H-1B. We’ll explain what that means and how to file yours here.

The United States immigration program regulations aren’t set in stone. In fact, they undergo revision regularly, with the current focus on a proposed pilot program designed to determine the future of E-Verify as mandatory or optional. Currently, some states require employers to use this remote system to verify employment eligibility. But those that don’t still need a way to verify documents. The Department of Homeland Security has suggested remote I-9 document inspections for employers with 500 or fewer workers. If you are interested in expressing your thoughts on this proposal, you have until October 2, 2023, to do so. Keep reading to find out how this works.

Following the status of your visa is an important part of the “waiting game.” If you’re lucky, you won’t have to learn the ropes of the US Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for long, as your number will come up quickly. But for those of us with slow-moving Final Action Dates or Dates for Filing, the monthly updates are a time of expectation and anticipation. Here, we’ll break down what you can expect to see in August 2023’s bulletin.