Congress needs to extend the EB-5 regional center program by April 28, as part of a larger spending bill to fund the government. Congress has considered reforming the EB-5 program for several years, but has never been able to enact a reform bill, in part because of...
Topic: Immigration Updates
Visa Processing Delays Expected in Busy Summer Season Due to Increased Screening
According to reports, visa applicants, especially those coming from India, may experience processing delays due to heightened scrutiny over the busy summer season and beyond. The Department of State issued several related cables to diplomatic and consular posts that...
USCIS Announces Multiple Measures To ‘Deter and Detect’ H-1B Visa Fraud, Abuse
On April 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced multiple measures "to further deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse." USCIS explained that the H-1B visa program "should help U.S. companies recruit highly skilled foreign nationals...
USCIS Changes H-1B Specialty Occupation Guidance for Computer Programmers
On April 3, 2017, the first filing day for fiscal year 2018 H-1B petitions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memorandum changing guidance on the H-1B specialty occupation designation for computer programmers. The memo, "Guidance Memo...
USCIS Received 199,000 Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions in April
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 17, 2017, that it received 199,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions this year in the H-1B lottery conducted the first week in April. That is more than double the 85,000 new H-1B cap-subject visas that can...
New Publications and Items of Interest
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Carolyn Lee wrote an article summarizing and analyzing USCIS’s new EB-5 regional center audit process as announced in March 2017. The audits will consist of the predictable, based on regional center filings on record with USCIS, as...
Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted by Several News Sources, including Bloomberg, Daily Mail and Washington Post
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Stephen Yale-Loehr was recently quoted in the following media regarding recent immigration-related developments: Daily Mail (UK):...
CArolyn Lee Quoted by Law360
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Carolyn Lee was recently quoted by Law360 regarding EB-5 Regional Center Audits and ways to prepare entitled “3 Ways to Prepare for the Regional Center Audits.” The article is at...
Miller Mayer Attorneys Recognized By Who’s Who Legal and Chambers Global
Miller Mayer immigration lawyers Steve Yale-Loehr, Carolyn Lee, Hilary Fraser, Rosanne Mayer, and Kristal Ozmun were listed again in Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Immigration 2017. Steve Yale-Loehr and Miller Mayer were also listed in Chambers Global 2017. Steve was...
State Dept. Reminds About Expiration of Two Employment Visa Categories
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for the month of April 2017 included the following reminders about the possible expiration in late April of two employment-based immigrant visa categories, and an update on Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) availability. Employment...
