Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
Visa Bulletin for July Notes Slowdowns or Retrogressions (Visa Unavailability) in Several Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Categories Before End of Fiscal Year
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for July 2019 includes the following notes: It has been necessary to retrogress the Mexico E4 and SR final action dates for July to keep visa issuances within the annual numerical limits. With the start of the new fiscal year in...
Ken Cuccinelli Named Acting Director of USCIS
Ken Cuccinelli has been appointed acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), effective June 10, 2019. He succeeds Francis Cissna, who left the agency as of June 1, 2019. Mr. Cuccinelli will lead an agency of 19,000 employees and contractors....
Miller Mayer partner Kristal Ozmun named Incoming Co-chair of IIUSA Best Practices Committee
Miller Mayer is pleased to announce that partner Kristal Ozmun will serve as Co-chair of Invest In the USA (IIUSA)’s Best Practices Committee. Kristal is a partner in the firm’s Immigration Group, with extensive experience in representing EB-5 regional centers,...
Cap Reached for Additional H-2B Visas for FY 2019
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received enough petitions to reach the additional maximum 30,000 visas made available under the H-2B numerical limit (cap) for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The H-2B visa program permits employers to...
USCIS Invites Public Comments on Extension of Form I-9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has invited public comments on its proposed extension of the Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) before it expires on August 31, 2019. According to a USCIS announcement, the 30-day comment period will be...
OFLC’s New Online ‘FLAG’ Portal to Replace iCERT
The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has announced a new cloud-based online portal, the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG). The newly modernized portal is intended to "help U.S. employers find qualified workers while ensuring...
Premium Processing Begins for Remaining H-1B Cap-Subject (Lottery) Petitions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will resume premium processing for all remaining fiscal year (FY) 2020 H-1B lottery petitions, starting on June 10, 2019. Employers may file a request for premium processing conversion with the USCIS...
Miller Mayer’s David Wilks obtains cap H-1B approvals without RFE for an Entrepreneur and a Software Developer
Miller Mayer Attorney David Wilks successfully obtained an H-1B for an entrepreneur working as the Chief Technical Officer of a New York-based cloud application developer. Despite the relatively recent establishment of the company, and the foreign national’s minority...
State Dept. Introduces New ‘K’ Risk Indicator for Travelers
The Department of State (DOS) has announced a new "K" risk indicator added to its travel advisories for U.S. citizens, to communicate "the risks of kidnapping and hostage-taking by criminal and terrorist actors around the world." Travel advisories for 35 countries...
President Trump Considering Ban on Asylum Claims from Central Americans Traveling Through Mexico, Others
According to reports, President Donald Trump is considering a draft rule to prohibit people who have resided in a third country from filing an asylum claim. If the rule is implemented, it could block Central Americans traveling through Mexico, among others, from...
