Yesterday, January 20, 2021, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain issued a memorandum regarding review of pending regulatory actions which directs, in part, that (1) all rules pending at the Federal Register that have not been published must be immediately withdrawn, and (2) agencies must “consider” postponing the effective dates for regulations that have
H-1B Portability
Premium Processing Fee Hike
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the filing fee for premium processing will increase from $1,225 to $1,410, beginning on October 1, 2018. According to USCIS, this 15% increase in price is in step with inflation since DHS last adjusted premium processing rates in 2010 and will allow USCIS to more effectively…
USCIS Reinstates Premium Processing for ALL H-1B Petitions
By Alka Bahal on
Posted in H-1B Temporary Workers
On October 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting premium processing requests for all categories of H-1B petitions. In March 2017, USCIS had suspended the premium processing program for H-1B petitions, citing the need to reduce its overwhelming processing backlog. Over the past several months, USCIS phased…
No PP for H-1B Cap Petitions: USCIS Suspends Premium Processing for ALL H-1B Petitions
By Alka Bahal on
On March 3, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced that it will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions starting on April 3, 2017 until further notice. This suspension is anticipated to last for a period of up to 6 months. During this suspension, Petitioners are unable to file Form I-907, Request…
Expansive Final Rule Affecting Employment-Based Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Programs Published – good news for H-1B visa holders and those seeking permanent residency
On November 18, 2016, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule to “improve aspects of certain employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa programs.” This final rule also “amended regulations to better enable U.S. employers to hire and retain certain foreign workers who are beneficiaries of approved employment-based immigrant visa petitions and are waiting…