We are currently in the filing phase of this year's cap-subject H-1B season. As we send out completed forms for review and signature, we often receive questions about how the beneficiary was selected in the registration lottery. During H-1B registration, a beneficiary may qualify for the Master's cap exemption as long as they have or will have attained a US master's degree at the time of H-1B...
Update April 1, 2021 DOS has just provided an update on its website. Visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview will have their applications prioritized and processed in accordance with existing phased resumption of visa services guidance. Visa applicants who were previously refused visas due to the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation...
Update May 4, 2021 Since January of last year, we have seen an uptick in typos and errors on official notices. We've caught errors almost every month which suggests the trend will continue. Errors include name misspellings, wrong priority date, wrong DOB, missing A#, and wrong EB category (EB1 instead of EB2). We will create a new post to track these ongoing errors. It is important to look at...
Update Post May 1, 2021 In response to the lawsuit, USCIS has agreed to accept and adjudicate H-1B cap petitions that were previously rejected last year due to having a start date that is after October 1, 2020. Original Post March 16, 2021 This is both shockingly absurd and sad. A lawsuit was filed (a copy of the complaint is attached below) recently by multiple petitioners whose H-1B petitions...
As we have previously reported, Biden has immediately taken steps after swearing in to dismantle Trump’s restrictive H-1B measures. He has already revoked/rescinded prior policy memos that have led to record number of RFEs and denials. On March 12, 2021, USCIS announced that it may reopen and/or reconsider adverse decisions on Form I-129 made based on three rescinded policy memos. They key...
This post relates to employer's obligations when it has retained an attorney to handle its H-1B registration. First, the employer must have access to its USCIS account. If employer has created an account last year, the same login credential should work. If not, employer should go through the reset password procedure. If employer has never created an account, employer should follow the...
As we enter into the registration period (March 9, 2021 to March 25, 2021), it is important to note some of the common mistakes so that each beneficiary is properly registered. The company should be aware that there are three account types to choose from. Choose the correct one. Regardless of whether they have an attorney or not, they must have an account as a “H-1B registrant”. Please see...
As we have previously reported, this final rule has been postponed in light of Biden's efforts to postpone "midnight regulations" that signed by President Trump during the waning days of his administration. See our earlier posts: Final Rule on Creating Wage-Based Selection System for H-1B Cap-Subject PetitionH-1B Lottery unlikely to be impacted by the New RuleH-1B Lottery for FY2022 will Remain...
As we have been posting recently, USCIS is experiencing record delays in issuing receipt notices of various applications. We just finally received all receipt notices in connection with I-485 employment based applications in October 2020 (a 4 month wait!). It does not seems like the situation is improving as we are continuing to receive various receipt notices that are 2 to 3 months late. The...
