The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a news alert on November 15, 2013, reminding those impacted by the devastation in the Philippines created by Typhoon Haiyan that certain forms of immigration relief may be available. This reminder covers a number of general provisions applicable...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance on October 31, 2013, regarding PERM labor certification cases impacted by the recent government shutdown. During the shutdown, it was not possible to use the DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) electronic submission systems. The guidance...
On October 30, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed its redesigned website to the general public. The site's web address, www.uscis.gov, remains unchanged, but the content has been rearranged with an eye on simplifying the user's online experience. Easier Navigation In conjunction with the...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a brief announcement regarding the acceptance of H1B petitions (as well as H2A and H2B petitions) that were filed late because of the recent government shutdown. The following discusses the application of these instructions when seeking relief...
Now that the U.S. federal government shutdown has thankfully ended, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has resumed the processing of labor condition applications (LCAs). However, the bill to reauthorize funding for the federal government is only a stopgap, and is set to expire in...
Updated 7:00am (Eastern Time - U.S.) At 12:30am Thursday, 17.Oct.2013, President Obama signed a bill to reopen the U.S. government. Federal workers are returning to work today.----- NewsFlash! Senate Deal May End Government Shutdown - Updated 16.Oct.2013: Updated 4:27pm (Eastern Time - U.S.) Speaker Boehner has agreed to not...
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently released two documents addressing the discretionary authority of CBP officers to overlook certain technical or minor background issues that would otherwise make a foreign national inadmissible to the United States. The two documents give insight into those...
The U.S. government is in a state of partial shutdown as of October 1, 2013 due to an inability to obtain congressional agreement on appropriations. As of October 1st, the Department of Labor iCert system is unavailable. This system is used for both PERM labor...
If the U.S. Congress cannot reach an agreement on a funding extension before midnight tonight, there will be what is commonly referred to as a government shutdown, effective October 1, 2013. In such a situation, government services are not completely eliminated. However, government operations are...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Diversity Visa (DV) "Green Card" Lottery registration period for fiscal year 2015 (FY15) runs from October 1, 2013 through November 2, 2013. The DV lottery program allots up to 50,000 immigrant visa numbers annually to applicants who meet certain...
