On December 14, 2009, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that 62,500 H-1B cap-subject petitions have been filed.  Remarkably, this is a 1,000 petition increase over the 61,500 USCIS announced it has received on December 8, 2009.  The H-1B visa is among the most coveted by U.S. employers because it allows foreign workers [...]

With an escalation in employer inspections by United States Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Labor (DOL), it has become vital that employers with H-1B employees have their H-1B Public Access Files in order.  What Documents Should be in a H-1B Public Access File? To avoid potential [...]

On November 19, 2009, at a program titled “2009 Government and Employers: Working Together to Ensure a Legal Workforce,” USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) office’s Chief of Staff, Ronald Atkinson, clarified the three types of employer site visits/inspection programs currently being conducted.  The following types of employer site visits/inspections programs are funded through [...]

After a twenty-two year long ban, President Obama has lifted the ban that kept those who have HIV from traveling and immigrating to the United States.  The final rule, published November 2, 2009 will become effective January 1, 2010.    A ban on travel and immigration to the U.S. by individuals with HIV, the virus [...]

All applicants for naturalization must now take the new naturalization test, regardless of when the applicant filed their Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the redesigned naturalization test is intended to ensure that citizenship applicants have uniform, consistent testing experiences nationwide and that the civics portion can effectively assess whether applicants have a meaningful understanding of U.S. government and history.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), marriage fraud accounts for approximately 37% of illegal immigration.  Spouses of both U.S. Citizens and U.S. Permanent Residents are eligible, through slightly different processes with varying time frames, to become  U.S. Permanent Residents and eventual citizens.  On October 6, 2009,  Sgt. Wesly Farris and Stephen Schneider pleaded [...]