Recent News

News and Facts*

Focus On:

	Marriage Based Immigration
	Physicians
	Naturalization
	Labor Certification Applications
	Investor Visas
	H-1B Petitions
	Waiver of Immigration Bars
	National Interest Waivers
	Nurses and other health workers

Articles by James A. Bach

	Labor Certification Strategies
	What is an "Affidavit of Support"?
	A Lie Can Exclude You From the United States Forever
	Priority Employment-Based Immigration: The EB-1 Category
	Portability: Can You Change Jobs Without Jeopardizing Your Immigration Status?
	Planning For Employment-Based Quota Backlogs
	Who Can Benefit From PERM Labor Certification?
	Summary of the PERM Labor U.S. Visas Not Required For Visitors From These Countries Certification Procedures
	Immigration Opportunities for Nurses
	DHS Procedures For Tracking Visitors to the U.S.
	Child Status Protection Act; Diversity Immigrant Visa Program
	Change of Address; Consular Interviews in Canada and Mexico
	INS Limits Change from Visitor to Student Status, and Limits Time of Visit
	Expedited Removal; Reciprocity Fees; Leaving U.S. While Application For Extension or Change of Status is Pending

Past developments

	Registration Requirements (ESTA) for Visa Waiver travelers (March 18, 2009)
	H-1B employees are out of status the moment their employment is terminated (12/87/2008)
	TN status term increases from one to three years (October 16, 2008)
	New Vaccination Guidelines (July 25, 2008)
	USCIS Discusses Reentry Permits (July 8, 2008)
	I-140 Premium Processing Available For Those Who Will Reach 6-Year H-1B Limit (June 12, 2008)
	More OPT Q's & A's (May 27, 2008)
	OPT Policy Guidance (April 25, 2008)
	Naturalization Processing Times (April 22, 2008)
	List of STEM Degrees Eligible for OPT Extension (April 11, 2008)
	OPT Extension FAQs (April 10, 2008)
	USCIS Reaches 2009 H-1B Cap (April 8, 2008)
	Text Of New OPT Extension Rule (April 8, 2008)
	OPT For Some F-1 Students Extended To 29 Months (April 4, 2008)
	USCIS Memo Discusses State Licensing Requirements For H-1B Petitions (3/21/08)
	EAD Extension Cannot Be Filed Early (2/5/08)
	Naturalization Through Military Service (1/28/08)
	AAO Decision Overturns Denial Of "Outstanding Researcher" Petition (posted 12/10/07)
	Those With DUI Convictions Will Have Problems Getting Visas (10/9/07)
	E-Verify News Release (9/25/07)
	"Safe Harbor" For Employers Who Receive "No Match" Letters From SSA (8/10/07)

	PERM Labor Certification Statistics (6/11/07)
	USCIS Announces New Fee Schedule, Effective 7/30/2007 (5/29/07)
	Summary of Proposed Immigration Law (5/18/07)
	New Labor Certification Rules (5/17/07)
	O and P Petitions Can Be Filed One Year In Advance (4/11/07)

	Congress Proposes "Dream Act" To Give Green Cards To Out-Of Status Immigrants Who Entered The U.S. Before Age 16 (3/5/07)
	Immigrants can now report change of address online (1/12/07)
	Who can avoid visa interviews at a U.S. Consulate (12/18/06)
	New Law Makes It Easier For Athletes To Compete In The U.S. (12/12/06)
	Time Spent In H-4 Status Is No Longer Charged Against H-1B 6-Year Limit (12/5/2006)
	Citizens of the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Bermuda must present passport to reenter the U.S. (11/22/06)
	Employers Must Withdraw H-1B Petition of Terminated Employee or Continue to Pay Salary (10/24/06)
	Certain High School Teachers May Be Exempt From H-1B Cap (9/12/06)
	State Dept. Issues Passport Guidelines For Visa Waiver Travelers (9/6/06)
	SKIL Bill Introduced In House Will Increase H-1B And Green Card Quotas (7/6/06)

E-3 Visas for Australian Professionals (5/23/06)

	Dept. of Homeland Security Targets Employers of Illegal Workers (4/20/06)
	Department of Labor reports on number of PERM cases filed and number of old labor certification cases pending (4/6/06)

	Australians: E-3 Status is Implemented by USCIS and Change of Status Applications are Now Possible (1/12/06)
	State Dept. Memo encourages students to apply for F-1 Visa (11/2/05)
	USCIS Memo clarifies impact of PERM labor certifications on I-140 and 7th-year H-1B petitions. (9/23/2005)

	USCIS Memo Discusses the Ability to Change Jobs Without Affecting H-1B Status and Approved Labor Certification (5/12/05)
	Interim regulations have been issued to implement 20,000 additional new H-1B visas for those with U.S. Master's degrees. Click here for the full text of the regulation. (5/5/2005)
	New procedures for arriving nonimmigrants ("U.S. Arrival") (12/9/04)
	The Dept. of State will stop accepting applications for stateside visa revalidation as of July 6, 2004. After that date all visas (even renewal visas) must be issued at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad. (6/11/04).
	New Streamlined Procedure For Obtaining Mexican TN Visa. With the oversubscribedH-1B quota, other types of working visas are becoming more useful for bringing foreign professionals into the U.S. As of 2004, Mexican nationals can obtain TN (NAFTA) visas simply by applying at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy. The requirement of first applying to the Dept. of Labor and the INS (now DHS), in place for a decade, has been abolished. Full text of Memo. (January 1, 2004)
	The State Department has announced stricter guidelines in issuing L-1B visas based on "specialized knowledge" (2/24/04)

	Full text of 2002 law providing exemption from 6-year H-1B limit in certain cases
	Canadian landed immigrants can no longer visit the U.S. without a visa
	INS Issues Warning About Travel Using Advance Parole (11/18/02)

*The information contained on this site should not be used as a basis for taking action or for failing to act. Instead, it is intended to educate our clients and members of the public generally, and to provide a background for directing case strategy in collaboration with a competent and experienced immigration attorney. No attorney / client relationship is created by the information provided, and even our existing clients should not take any action unless they are instructed to do so by us. Information on this site may be outdated or erroneous, and you should seek the advice of an attorney to determine current law or policy. The links to other web pages are provided as a convenience only and we cannot be responsible for the accuracy or completeness of information obtained from those web sites.