The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final rule increasing the fees for immigration benefits by a weighted average of 21%. The fee increase comes in the midst of some of the longest CIS adjudication times in recent memory, with simple H-1B extensions often taking 7 months […]
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By: Delisa Bressler The H-1B filing season for new petitions starts on April 1 and lasts for only five business days. H-1B is a non-immigrant visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H). It allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. […]
H-1B Season is Rapidly Approaching – Plan Now for Filing New H-1B Petitions on April 1, 2016
13 Jan
by Foster, on Immigration Updates
In less than three months, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) will begin accepting new H-1B petitions filed under the Fiscal Year 2017 (October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017) H-1B quota. No more than 85,000 new H-1B visa numbers, which include 20,000 Master’s exempt numbers, are available for the […]
Congress Imposes Higher H-1B and L-1 Filing Fees on Certain Employers
22 Dec
by Foster, on Immigration Updates
On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, which contained provisions increasing the H-1B and L-1 filing fees for employers who rely heavily on the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The law imposes a supplemental filing fee of $4,500 per L-1 petition, and […]