Department of State Unveils Stateside Renewal Visa Pilot Program for H-1B Applicants from India and Canada
The Department of State has officially announced the Stateside Renewal Visa Program through a Federal Register Notice, inviting eligible individuals to participate in the pilot program from January 29th to April 1st. This initiative, advocated by AILA since 2021, is a significant development in visa processing. The program is exclusively available to H-1B principal beneficiaries […]
USCIS Policy Update: Sole Proprietorships and L-1 Petitions
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy update through its Policy Manual, reinforcing the legal distinctions between business entities in the context of immigration petitions. Specifically, the guidance makes it clear that a sole proprietorship, by virtue of not being a distinct legal entity separate […]
H-1B Visa Cap Reached: USCIS FY 2024 Updates and Exemptions
Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally mandated caps for H-1B visas for fiscal year (FY) 2024. The regular cap of 65,000 and the master’s cap of 20,000 for U.S. advanced degree exemptions have both been met. Non-selection notices will be sent to registrants through […]
Immigration Fees Likely to Soar in Early 2024
Facing a stubborn backlog and an influx of immigrants seeking refuge, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) proposed a rule featuring a new fee schedule in January 2023. The proposed fee schedule includes sharp increases in fees for H-1B visas, green cards, and naturalization. USCIS has deferred the final ruling on the fees until […]
Minimize Your Cost by Starting the Green Card Process Early
In the immigration community, autumn brings a new-year sense of renewal. A new US government fiscal year beginning October 1 means a fresh start to the annual allocation of green cards for those looking to apply. But application backlogs which have grown for countries like mainland China and India have tempered that October optimism. A […]
CIS Ombudsman’s Office Reminder: Additional Time to Produce F-1 EAD Cards
Photo by Headway on Unsplash USCIS expanded Premium Processing Services (PPS) to F-1 students who have filed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization earlier this year. F-1 students will file a Form I-765 when seeking optional practical training (OPT) or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions. Upgrading the filing with a Form I-907, […]
Eight New CIP Codes in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List
Photo by Radowan Nakif Rehan on Unsplash The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Federal Register notice in mid-July announcing eight (8) additional Classification of Industrial Programs (CIP) codes to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. This List of CIP Codes is used when […]
H-1B Travelers to Save Time, Money, and Heartache with Stateside Visa Renewal Pilot Program
For H-1B visa holders, the logistics of traveling home for a wedding can be almost as challenging to plan as the wedding. An Indian client who traveled to India for a wedding had to remain there for weeks to get a visa to return to the US. He had to apply for the visa in […]