State Department
United States: State Department Releases February 2010 Visa Bulletin
According to the latest Department of State Visa Bulletin, employment-based immigrant visa cut-off dates will move ahead by several weeks in the second preference category (EB-2) for China, and in the third preference (EB-3) professional and skilled worker subcategory for China and worldwide. »
Worldwide: Holiday Season May Delay Work Permit, Visa Application Processing
Government offices generally are short-staffed or closed during the holiday season. Clients should plan ahead as processing delays are expected for visa and work permit applications during the months of December and January. »
United States: FY 2010 H-1B Cap Moves Closer to Exhaustion Employers with Remaining H-1B Hiring Needs Must File As Soon As Possible
USCIS has now received 61,100 filings against the fiscal 2010 cap. Employers can still submit petitions for H-1B employment in the current fiscal year, but should do so as quickly as possible because the annual cap is likely to be exhausted soon. »
United States: More on What Employers Need to Know about the New DOL Prevailing Wage Process
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) formally announced on Friday December 4, 2009 that it is opening its national prevailing wage center in Washington, DC. DOL is opening the new center with the goal of centralizing prevailing wage determinations and providing more uniformity. However, employers have expressed a great deal of concern about... »
US: State Department Releases December 2009 Visa Bulletin India EB-3 Advances Slightly; Other Employment-Based Cut-Off Dates Are Unchanged
Cut-off dates for the India employment-based third preference (EB-3) immigrant category will advance by just one week in December, but otherwise, priority dates in the first, second and third preferences will be unchanged next month. »
United States: Holiday Travel Planning for Foreign Nationals
The winter holiday season is approaching and many foreign nationals are beginning to make plans to travel abroad. Now is the right time for these individuals to make sure that they are prepared, from an immigration perspective, to depart and reenter the United States. Understanding their immigration obligations can help foreign employees minimize the... »
US: State Department Releases November 2009 Visa Bulletin
There will be only minimal advancement for priority dates in employment-based classifications in November 2009. The priority date cut-offs for the second preference (EB-2) category will advance one week to April 1, 2005 for China, remain January 22, 2005 for India, and will remain current for all other countries. »