A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a bill earlier this year that would create a startup visa for international entrepreneurs. It also creates a visa with a path to a green card for international students earning a master’s or higher STEM degree at U.S. universities. U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Roy Blunt…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sent its EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Modernization proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The EB-5 modernization proposal has been under discussion since the Obama administration. The EB-5 green card program generally offers two investment options: One requires investors to actively manage the company in…
The bipartisan appropriations measure approved in February brought mixed news for both individuals seeking to come to the U.S. and companies looking to employ them. Here are the immigration programs impacted by the latest appropriations measure. VAWA Green Cards Congressional Democrats let the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) lapse. They plan to expand the…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has submitted its long-anticipated proposal to eliminate work permits for H-4 visa holders to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. That move marks the first step in the process of rescinding the H-4 EAD (Employment Authorization Document) program. Details of the proposal, including whether…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has resumed premium processing for all H-1B petitions. However, USCIS will delay premium processing handling for H-1B petitions submitted for this year’s lottery, which opens on April 1. Two Tracks for Premium Processing This year, only H-1B petitioners who are subject to the lottery and are requesting a…
Tax Day—April 15—is fast approaching. Even if you’re not a U.S. citizen, you must file a tax return if you’re considered a “resident alien” for tax purposes. Like U.S. immigration law, U.S. tax law is complicated. We only practice U.S. immigration law, so this consists of a compilation of information from the Internal Revenue Service…
The Alcorn Immigration Law team’s H-1B season began in December. Since then, we’ve been working with employers preparing H-1B visa applications for the April lottery. Given the increased scrutiny, requests for evidence (RFEs), and denials these applications face, employers and H-1B candidates should focus on assembling the strongest petition they can. Delays, uncertainty about visa…
Medical and recreational use of marijuana is legal in California and Canada, but its use remains illegal under U.S. federal law. Immigration law is enforced at the federal level. Given that, if you want to immigrate to the United States, you should be very cautious about any marijuana use or connection to marijuana anywhere in…
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…
Under a new policy, if U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) denies a visa, an extension, or another immigration benefit, the agency will immediately begin deportation proceedings against the foreign national. That means doing it yourself now carries a higher risk of deportation. USCIS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)…