Late last year, founding partner Sophie Alcorn wrote about the dramatic rise processing times for some forms by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Since then, the processing times have improved for many visa and green card categories. However, processing times for many employment-based and family-based green cards continue to steadily increase. USCIS takes 10…
New data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows denials for all immigration benefits have increased sharply during the past year. Nevertheless, the Alcorn Immigration Law team has maintained its more than 95 percent client success rate. Denial rates for all immigration petitions during the first nine months of fiscal year 2018 (October 2017…
On September 30, 2015, Public Law 111-230 sunset. Since 2010, this law has required additional filing fees of $2,000 for certain H-1B petitions and $2,250 for certain L-1A and L-1B petitions. H-1B status is for nonimmigrants working temporarily in specialty occupations; L-1A status is for intracompany transferee managers and executives; and L-1B status is for…
If your H1-B employee changes worksites, must you, the employer, file an amended H-1B petition with USCIS? Yesterday USCIS released a new policy memorandum answering this question. By interpreting the April 9, 2015 case Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC, USCIS is clarifying an employer’s obligations regarding LCAs and amended H1-B petitions. 26 I&N Dec. 542 (AAO…
If you are an employer who frequently petitions to transfer employees from your multinational offices to the U.S. as managers, executives, or individuals with specialized knowledge, you might consider a Blanket L petition. What is a Blanket L Petition? A Blanket L petition is a group petition for your employees to apply directly for…
If your company has at least two offices, one in the U.S. and one abroad, your company might be able to petition for an employee with specialized knowledge to be transferred to the U.S. office in the L1-B status. Benefits of the L1-B There are several advantages to an L-1B visa. It can be valid up to five years,…
If your company has at least two offices, one in the U.S. and one abroad, your company might be able to petition for an executive or manager to be transferred to the U.S. office in the L1-A status. Benefits of the L1-A There are several advantages to an L-1A visa. It can be valid up to seven years, with…
Thinking about filing a petition for a cap-subject H-1B in the visa lottery? Here are some things you might need to include, depending on the specifics of the company and the prospective employee. All forms must be properly signed. For a complete list of all requirements, please consult an experienced immigration attorney to thoroughly review…