On July 16, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing asking U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) to explain the increase in immigration case processing times and denials. Since USCIS fiscal year (FY) 2017 there has been a 67% increase in case processing times, resulting in 2.3 million […]
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H-1B Season Is Rapidly Approaching – Plan Now For Filing New H-1B Petitions For CIS Receipt On April 2, 2018
8 Jan
by Foster LLP, 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 2019 (October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019) H-1B quota. No more than 85,000 new H-1B visa numbers, which include 20,000 U.S. Master’s exempt numbers, are available for […]
Approval Notices with I-94 Cards Now Have Two Different Validity Periods for Certain Nonimmigrant Classifications
4 Oct
by Foster, on Immigration Updates
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) recently began issuing Form I-797A Approval Notices with two different validity periods for certain nonimmigrant classifications, including H-1B. The expiration date at the top of the Approval Notice reflects the validity date requested in the petition and the period of work authorization. However, the […]
CIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions on October 3
28 Sep
by Foster, on Immigration Updates
On Wednesday, September 27th, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) announced the return of premium processing for all H-1B petitions, effective October 3rd. This includes H-1B petitions seeking a change of status, change of employer, or amendment to current status. Premium processing had previously returned for other types of H-1B […]