U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on September 19, 2017 that it is no longer accepting applications from US based employers who were planning to hire temporary non-agricultural workers under the rule that allowed the increase of 15,000 (in addition to the H-2B cap reached in March 2017) of the H-2B visas that was announced by USCIS in July 2017. The authority to increase the number of H-2B visas for FY2017 was delegated to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by congress in May 2017. The Department Of Labor (DOL) and DHS determined that there were not enough qualified and willing U.S. workers available to perform temporary nonagricultural labor to satisfy the needs of some American businesses in FY 2017.
The deadline for applying for these additional H-2B visas was September 15th, 2017. USCIS announced that they had received 13,534 H-2B petitions by September 15th, 2017. Any H-2B visas not approved by USCIS by October 1, 2017 will be denied and no refund of the fees associated with H-2B filings will be provided.
If you have an immigration issue, please call the offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates.
Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates
One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street, #2600
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 367-6750
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has resumed premium processing for all H-1B visa petitions subject to the Fiscal Year year (FY) 2018 cap that were filed last April.
The premium processing service mandates that USCIS will guarantee that the petition will be processed within 15 days of receiving the premium processing request along with the associated fee. If USCIS is unable to meet the 15- calendar day processing time, the agency will refund the petitioner’s premium processing service fee and continue processing of the application in an expedited manner. USCIS had suspended the premium processing service prior to receiving FY2018 H-1B Cap petitions.
As USCIS has already received more than enough H-1B petitions to meet FY2018 quotas for H-1B petitions, it is not accepting any new H-1B petitions for FY2018 fiscal year. Also please note that Premium processing remains temporarily suspended for all other H-1B petitions, such as extensions of stay
USCIS has already resumed premium processing for H-1B petitions filed on behalf of physicians under the Conrad 30 waiver program, as well as interested government agency waivers and for certain H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap.
USCIS will announce when the premium processing for all other remaining H‑1B petitions not subject to the FY 2018 cap at a later date. However, remaining petitioners may submit a request to premium process their application if they meet the specific USCIS criteria. USCIS will review all Premium Processing requests on a case-by-case basis.
For more information, contact the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates at (617) 367-6750.
Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates
One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street #2600, Boston MA 02108
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will begin expanding in-person interviews for certain immigration benefit applicants whose benefit, if granted, would allow them to permanently reside in the United States. Effective Oct. 1, USCIS will begin to phase-in interviews for the following:
• Adjustment of status applications based on employment (Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status).
• Refugee/asylee relative petitions (Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition) for beneficiaries who are in the United States and are petitioning to join a principal asylee/refugee applicant.
Previously, applicants in these categories did not require an in-person interview with USCIS officers in order for their application for permanent residency to be adjudicated. Beyond these categories, USCIS is planning an incremental expansion of interviews to other benefit types.
If you have questions, please contact the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates at (617) 367-6750.
Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates
One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street #2600, Boston MA 02108
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that they reached the H-1B Cap for the fiscal year 2018. USCIS started accepting the 2018 H-1B Cap petitions on April 3, 2017. USCIS has reached the limit for the mandated 65,000 petitions, as well as the 20,000 petitions for the advance degree exemption.
If you need help filing a H-1B or any other petition, please do not hesitate to contact us at 617-367-6750.
WARNING: Please note, if you were born in and/or are a citizen of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen we would advise you to refrain from travelling outside the United States due to the President’s recent executive order, regardless of your current status. If you have upcoming, unavoidable travel, please contact us immediately.
United States has provided a sanctuary to Liberians who had fled Liberia due to armed conflict – this sanctuary was provided through Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Although the armed conflict ended in 2003, President Bush and later President Obama extended the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to those who had originally been granted the TPS. The current grant of the DED was due to expire on September 30th 2016. President Obama has recently announced that the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Liberian nationals who are presently residing in the United Stated under this existing DED through March 31, 2018. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to automatically extend employment authorization documents (EADs) for Liberian nationals covered by this extension of DED. Liberians whose EADs expire on September 30, 2016, will now be valid through March 31, 2017. The automatic extension of existing EADs allows eligible Liberian nationals (or person who habitually resided in Liberia) to continue working while they apply for the new EADs. This six month extension also gives USCIS time to process and issue new EADs.
Eligibility
This grant of DED extension only applies to Liberian nationals (or person who habitually resided in Liberia) who have resided in the United States since October 1, 2002 and does not apply to those:
- who are subject to extradition
- who were deported, excluded or removed prior to September 28th 2016.
- that left the United States voluntarily
- whose removal would be in the interests of the United States
- whose activity or presence in the United States would have negative foreign policy consequences for the United States.
- who are ineligible for TPS for the reasons provided in the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)(2)(B);
How can the Boston Immigration Lawyer at the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates help you…
We have helped a great number of families and individuals begin their new lives and who have gone on to fulfill their ambitions and contribute to their communities in the United States. If you are a Liberian national looking to apply for a new EAD as a result of this DED extension granted by President Obama or if you are of any other nationality in need of help with an immigration matter, call the Immigration Lawyers at the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates.
See what our Clients had to say about our Boston Immigration Attorney at the Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates…
“I still can’t believe it, but it happened. Thank you very sincerely for all your hard work, patience, perseverance and guidance to make it happen. I will be forever grateful.”
Alvin
See more client reviews about our Boston Immigration Attorneys here
Law Offices of Trupti N Patel & Associates
One Boston Place
201 Washington St #2600
Boston, MA 02108
