This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during September 2016 for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
Visa Bulletin (August 2016)
This Bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant visa numbers during August 2016 for: “Application Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
Clinton Vows to Expand Obama's Immigration Executive Actions
HILLARY CLINTON vowed to expand President Obama's executive actions on immigration and cast the 2016 presidential election as critical for Latino voters because Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee.
VT reaches $5.95 million settlement with Raymond James
The Vermont Department of Regulation has reached a settlement with Raymond James and Associates, Inc., in connection with the EB-5 scandal in the Northeast Kingdom.
Supreme Court Immigration Decision: 4-4 Tie Blocks Obama’s Executive Action Helping Immigrants
Breaking News: The Supreme Court announced today that it was deadlocked in a 4-4 tie in a decision on the immigration policies of U.S. President Barack Obama. The decision effectively blocks Obama's action, allowing an appeals court decision to stand.
Price for a Green Card: $500,000 Stadium Stake
For years, sports teams have tried to defray the multimillion-dollar costs of their new stadiums by asking fans to pay thousands for personal seat licenses that entitle them to buy season tickets.
Flávio Augusto da Silva is taking the concept further. In what may be the first deal of its kind, Mr. da Silva, the majority owner of Orlando City of Major League Soccer, is asking investors from Brazil, China and elsewhere to pay $500,000 each for a stake in the stadium he is building near downtown Orlando. In return, the foreign investors receive annual dividends, two season tickets and something even more valuable: a green card that allows them, their spouses and sometimes even their children to live and work in the United States.
Sting Operation by the Department of Homeland Security Leads to Visa Fraud Arrests
NEWARK — On the surface, the University of Northern New Jersey seemed legitimate. It had a website, with a seal featuring the Latin words “Humanus, Scientia, Integritas,” a list of business-oriented degrees offered and a promise of “an exceptional educational experience.”
It was so exceptional it did not exist.
Instead, the university was a fake, set up by the Homeland Security Department as part of a sting operation to ensnare criminals involved in student visa fraud.
USCIS Completes Data Entry of Fiscal Year 2017 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions
USCIS announced on May 2, 2016, that it has completed data entry of all fiscal year 2017 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in our computer-generated random process. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected.
Trump's And Sanders' Immigration Plans Would Shake The Biomedical World
First the big news. Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders actually agree. On what could they possibly agree? Both are are opposed to the current H-1B visa program and would like to see the minimum wage of the visa raised. Both have highlighted the impact of the current visa program on jobs for Americans. Much of the Presidential debate over the H-1B Visa has focused on how the visa affects the computer and information technology world.
USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap "Lottery" Selection Process for FY 2017
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7, 2016, that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2017. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
USCIS received over 236,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 1, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption. On April 9, USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process, or lottery, to select enough petitions to meet the 65,000 general-category cap and the 20,000 cap under the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will reject and return all unselected petitions with their filing fees, unless the petition is found to be a duplicate filing.
The agency conducted the selection process for the advanced degree exemption first. All unselected advanced degree petitions then became part of the random selection process for the 65,000 limit.
As announced on March 16, 2016, USCIS will begin premium processing for H-1B cap cases no later than May 16, 2016.
USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap. Petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap will also not be counted towards the congressionally mandated FY 2017 H-1B cap. USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to:
- Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the United States;
- Change the terms of employment for current H-1B workers;
- Allow current H-1B workers to change employers; and
- Allow current H-1B workers to work concurrently in a second H-1B position. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge in fields such as science, engineering, and computer programming.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov