Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC

Weekly Newsletter: I-90 GC Renewal Auto Extension 3 Years; H-1B Cap Lottery 2nd Round Deadline Nov 7; AR-11 Change of Address - Vol. XVII, No. 28 -

Weekly Newsletter: I-90 GC Renewal Auto Extension 3 Years; H-1B Cap Lottery 2nd Round Deadline Nov 7; AR-11 Change of Address - Vol. XVII, No. 28 USCIS has updated the process for green card renewal applicants with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card where applicants seek to renew an expiring green card.   Starting September 2024, USCIS has extended the period during which ...

Starting January 2021, USCIS will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card where applicants seek to renew an expiring green card. March [...]

The post USCIS Changes I-90 Green Card Renewal Process and Eliminates Temporary Extension Sticker; Three-Year Auto Renewal for Pending Applications appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

USCIS Changes I-90 Green Card Renewal Process and Eliminates Temporary Extension Sticker; Three-Year Auto Renewal for Pending Applications Starting January 2021, USCIS will replace the sticker that is currently issued to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to extend the validity of their Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) with a revised Form I-797, Notice of Action for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card whe...

Weekly Newsletter: October 2023 Visa Bulletin; AC21 Porting for Pending I-485s; H-1B Cap Lottery Alternatives - Vol. XVII, No. 27 -

Weekly Newsletter: October 2023 Visa Bulletin; AC21 Porting for Pending I-485s; H-1B Cap Lottery Alternatives - Vol. XVII, No. 27 The U.S. State Department has released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year.  The headline in the month’s Visa Bulletin is the fact that despite wide expectations for significant forward advancement among many employment-based categories, the f...

The U.S. State Department has released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the month’s Visa Bulletin is the fact that despite wide expectations for significant forward advancement among many employment-based categories, the forward movement is somewhat limited and, in fact, some categories [...]

The post October 2024 Visa Bulletin – First Visa Bulletin for Fiscal Year Brings Limited Cutoff Date Recovery appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

October 2024 Visa Bulletin – First Visa Bulletin for Fiscal Year Brings Limited Cutoff Date Recovery The U.S. State Department has released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the first Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the month’s Visa Bulletin is the fact that despite wide expectations for significant forward advancement among many employment-based categories, the forwa...

Weekly Newsletter: F-1 OPT Cap-Gap Ends Sep 30; H-1B Specialty Occupation RFEs; Premium Processing Details, Fees and Timelines - Vol. XVII, No. 26 -

Weekly Newsletter: F-1 OPT Cap-Gap Ends Sep 30; H-1B Specialty Occupation RFEs; Premium Processing Details, Fees and Timelines - Vol. XVII, No. 26 This year’s busy H-1B cap season included many H-1B employee candidates who hold F-1 status and who are employed in the U.S. pursuant to F-1 optional practical training (OPT) status.    Out of these F-1 visa holders, many rely on the OPT cap-gap rule to continue working in the U.S. after the po...

USCIS has just completed the second round of the H-1B cap selection lottery and notified the selected applicants. The August 2024 selection round was due to the fact that a (significant) number of H-1B cap registrations selected under the first round (see our report on the initial round of selections) did not file an H-1B [...]

The post Second H-1B Cap Lottery Completed; Newly Selected Petitions Must Be Filed by November 7th appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

Second H-1B Cap Lottery Completed; Newly Selected Petitions Must Be Filed by November 7th USCIS has just completed the second round of the H-1B cap selection lottery and notified the selected applicants. The August 2024 selection round was due to the fact that a (significant) number of H-1B cap registrations selected under the first round (see our report on the initial round of selection...

Weekly Newsletter: What to Expect in a 2nd Trump Administration? Updated STEM OPT Field List; H-1B Cap Second Lottery Expected - Vol. XVII, No. 25 -

Weekly Newsletter: What to Expect in a 2nd Trump Administration? Updated STEM OPT Field List; H-1B Cap Second Lottery Expected - Vol. XVII, No. 25 The prospect of a second Trump administration raises significant questions about the future of immigration policy. Trump’s first term saw notable shifts, including travel bans, visa challenges, and procedural and substantive restrictions for many visa types.  These measures caused significant cha...

The prospect of a second Trump administration raises significant questions about the future of immigration policy. Trump’s first term saw notable shifts, including travel bans, visa challenges, and procedural and substantive restrictions for many visa types. These measures caused significant challenges and anxiety among many visa holders and applicants. In this article, we will explore [...]

The post Anticipating and Preparing for a Second Trump Administration’s Challenges to Employment Immigration appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

Anticipating and Preparing for a Second Trump Administration's Challenges to Employment Immigration The prospect of a second Trump administration raises significant questions about the future of immigration policy. Trump's first term saw notable shifts, including travel bans, visa challenges, and procedural and substantive restrictions for many visa types. These measures caused significant challen...

Many of our readers, and especially those foreign students on F-1 status who are in a technical field, are aware of the regulations which allow holders of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees to obtain an additional 24-month OPT work permit extension, in addition to the 12-month post-completion OPT work permit. Understanding the eligibility [...]

The post Is my Degree a STEM-designated Program? Updated STEM Degree List appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

Is my Degree a STEM-designated Program? Updated STEM Degree List Many of our readers, and especially those foreign students on F-1 status who are in a technical field, are aware of the regulations which allow holders of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) degrees to obtain an additional 24-month OPT work permit extension, in addition to the 12-month....

Weekly Newsletter: I-485 Cross-Chargeability; PERM Processing Times; H-4 EAD vs. H-1B - Which is Better? - Vol. XVII, No. 24 -

Weekly Newsletter: I-485 Cross-Chargeability; PERM Processing Times; H-4 EAD vs. H-1B - Which is Better? - Vol. XVII, No. 24 Many of our readers follow closely our reports of the monthly Visa Bulletin which provides cutoff dates for those immigrant visa (green card) applicants who are current and have immigrant visa numbers available (i.e. their actual permanent resident “green” card is assigned an available number ...

After the initial H-1B cap filing window closed on June 30, 2024, we expect the second lottery to be conducted and results to be announced in late July or early August 2024. For instance, during last year, the second lottery results took until mid-August to be announced and all secondary selection registrants to be [...]

The post H-1B Cap Second Lottery for 2024 Expected in Late July/Early August appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

H-1B Cap Second Lottery for 2024 Expected in Late July/Early August After the initial H-1B cap filing window closed on June 30, 2024, we expect the second lottery to be conducted and results to be announced in late July or early August 2024. For instance, during last year, the second lottery results took until mid-August to be announced and all secondary selection r...

Weekly Newsletter: August 2024 Visa Bulletin; H-1B Cap Second Lottery Results Expected Late July/Early August - Vol. XVII, No. 23 -

Weekly Newsletter: August 2024 Visa Bulletin; H-1B Cap Second Lottery Results Expected Late July/Early August - Vol. XVII, No. 23 The U.S. State Department has just released the July 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the tenth Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year.  The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the notable forward movement in EB-1/EB-2/EB-3 India and the retrogression in EB-3 ROW.  Overall many employment ...

The U.S. State Department has released the August 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the eleventh Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of notable forward movement in almost all categories. EB-3 ROW/Mexico/Philippines expected to become unavailable in September. Which India and China Employment-based Applicants Are [...]

The post August 2024 Visa Bulletin – Not Much Movement; EB-3 Expected to be Unavailable in September 2024 appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

August 2024 Visa Bulletin - Not Much Movement; EB-3 Expected to be Unavailable in September 2024 The U.S. State Department has released the August 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the eleventh Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of notable forward movement in almost all categories. EB-3 ROW/Mexico/Philippines expected to become unavaila...

Weekly Newsletter: July 2024 Visa Bulletin; H-1B Cap Filing Deadline June 30; Handling Specialty Occupation H-1B RFEs - Vol. XVII, No. 22 -

Weekly Newsletter: July 2024 Visa Bulletin; H-1B Cap Filing Deadline June 30; Handling Specialty Occupation H-1B RFEs - Vol. XVII, No. 22 The U.S. State Department has just released the July 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the tenth Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year.  The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the notable forward movement in EB-1/EB-2/EB-3 India and the retrogression in EB-3 ROW.  Overall many employment ...

The U.S. State Department has released the July 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the tenth Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the notable forward movement in EB-1/EB-2/EB-3 India and the retrogression in EB-3 ROW. Overall many employment dates are advancing again with the exception of EB-3 [...]

The post July 2024 Visa Bulletin – EB Categories Start to Advance; EB-3 Retrogression appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

July 2024 Visa Bulletin - EB Categories Start to Advance; EB-3 Retrogression The U.S. State Department has released the July 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the tenth Visa Bulletin for the fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the notable forward movement in EB-1/EB-2/EB-3 India and the retrogression in EB-3 ROW. Overall many employment dates are a...

Weekly Newsletter: How to Interpret and Understand the Visa Bulletin; What Happens After GC Approval? Receipt Explained - Vol. XVII, No. 21 -

Weekly Newsletter: How to Interpret and Understand the Visa Bulletin; What Happens After GC Approval? Receipt #s Explained - Vol. XVII, No. 21 Published monthly by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the Visa Bulletin provides information on visa availability and cutoff dates which determine which immigrant visa (green card) applicants are eligible to complete the final stages of the green card application process and which green card ap...

Weekly Newsletter: How to Deal With Incorrect GC Approvals; I-693 Medical Exams Valid Indefinitely; Recap of the New USCIS Fees - Vol. XVII, No. 20 -

Weekly Newsletter: How to Deal With Incorrect GC Approvals; I-693 Medical Exams Valid Indefinitely; Recap of the New USCIS Fees - Vol. XVII, No. 20 One of the happiest moments for an I-485 Adjustment of Status applicant is the day their employment-based I-485 is approved and their green card is ordered for production in mailing.   However, sometimes the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) approve I-485 applications in error, most...

Weekly Newsletter: H-1B Cap Selected Cases Must File by June 30th; What are the Most Common H-1B RFEs? - Vol. XVII, No. 19 -

Weekly Newsletter: H-1B Cap Selected Cases Must File by June 30th; What are the Most Common H-1B RFEs? - Vol. XVII, No. 19 This year there were 470,342 eligible registrations (down from 759,994 last year) for 442,000 unique beneficiaries (down from 446,000 last year).    USCIS has selected 114,017 beneficiaries for the available 85,000 cap numbers (down from 188,400 last year) making for a general selection rate of ap...

Weekly Newsletter: June 2024 Visa Bulletin; Understanding the Cross-Chargeability Rule; or Porting Pending I-485 to New Employer - Vol. XVII, No. 18 -

Weekly Newsletter: June 2024 Visa Bulletin; Understanding the Cross-Chargeability Rule; or Porting Pending I-485 to New Employer - Vol. XVII, No. 18 The U.S. State Department has released the June 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year.  The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is (again) the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories.

The U.S. State Department has released the June 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is (again) the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories. Which India and China Employment-based Applicants Are Eligible to File I-485 [...]

The post June 2024 Visa Bulletin – Employment-based Dates Unchanged (Again!) appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

June 2024 Visa Bulletin - Employment-based Dates Unchanged (Again!) The U.S. State Department has released the June 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the ninth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is (again) the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories. Which India and China Employ...

Weekly Newsletter: 470K H-1B Cap Registrations & 25% Selection Rate; What to do With I-327 Advised? Next Steps after GC Approval; Vol. XVII, No. 17 -

Weekly Newsletter: 470K H-1B Cap Registrations & 25% Selection Rate; What to do With I-327 Advised? Next Steps after GC Approval; Vol. XVII, No. 17 This year there were 470,342 eligible registrations (down from 759,994 last year) for 442,000 unique beneficiaries (down from 446,000 last year).    USCIS has selected 114,017 beneficiaries for the available 85,000 cap numbers (down from 188,400 last year) making for a general selection rate of ap...

Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) who travel frequently outside of the U.S. and spend extended periods of time at a time (during a single trip or through pattern of shorter but frequent trips abroad) are often questioned at the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) U.S. port of entry about their residence and intention to remain a [...]

The post Green Card Holder and “I-327 Advised” Passport Notation – What To Do? appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

Green Card Holder and "I-327 Advised" Passport Notation - What To Do? Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) who travel frequently outside of the U.S. and spend extended periods of time at a time (during a single trip or through pattern of shorter but frequent trips abroad) are often questioned at the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) U.S. port of entry about their resid...

📚 CILG Newsletter Vol. XVII, No. 15: Indefinite Medical Exams & More -

📚 CILG Newsletter Vol. XVII, No. 15: Indefinite Medical Exams & More The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) have just announced a change in their policy regarding the validity period of a Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, when filed in support of a Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Application.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) have just announced a change in their policy regarding the validity period of a Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, when filed in support of a Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Application. Effective immediately and for all medical exams signed by the civil surgeon after [...]

The post USCIS Medical Exam Policy Change: I-693 Medical Exams Valid Indefinitely appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

USCIS Medical Exam Policy Change: I-693 Medical Exams Valid Indefinitely The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service ("USCIS") have just announced a change in their policy regarding the validity period of a Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, when filed in support of a Form I-485 Adjustment of Status Application. Effective immediately and f...

Weekly Newsletter: May 2024 Visa Bulletin; EAD Auto Extension Back to 540 Days; H-1B Cap Selections Must File by 6/30 - Vol. XVII, No. 14 -

Weekly Newsletter: May 2024 Visa Bulletin; EAD Auto Extension Back to 540 Days; H-1B Cap Selections Must File by 6/30 - Vol. XVII, No. 14 The U.S. State Department has released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year.  The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories.

The U.S. State Department has released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories. Which India and China Employment-based Applicants Are Eligible to File I-485 in [...]

The post May 2024 Visa Bulletin – Employment-based Dates Unchanged appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

May 2024 Visa Bulletin - Employment-based Dates Unchanged The U.S. State Department has released the May 2024 Visa Bulletin which is the eighth Visa Bulletin for the new fiscal year. The headline in the upcoming month’s Visa Bulletin is the lack of any meaningful movement across any of the employment-based categories. Which India and China Employment-bas...

USCIS has just released a new new temporary final rule (link to rule) effective as of April 8, 2024 pursuant to which the EAD auto-extension period is increased (again) from up to 180 days to up to 540 days from the expiration date stated on their EADs. This increase will be available to eligible renewal [...]

The post USCIS Extends EAD Auto-Extension to 540 Days: What You Need to Know appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

USCIS Extends EAD Auto-Extension to 540 Days: What You Need to Know USCIS has just released a new new temporary final rule (link to rule) effective as of April 8, 2024 pursuant to which the EAD auto-extension period is increased (again) from up to 180 days to up to 540 days from the expiration date stated on their EADs. This increase will be available to eligible

Weekly Newsletter: H-1B Cap Lottery Done - Must File by 6/30; Alternatives for Non-Selected Cases; New H-1B Filing Fees Explained- Vol. XVII, No. 13 -

Weekly Newsletter: H-1B Cap Lottery Done - Must File by 6/30; Alternatives for Non-Selected Cases; New H-1B Filing Fees Explained- Vol. XVII, No. 13 As of April 1 USCIS announced that they have received and selected sufficient number of H-1B “cap” registrations for the available 85,000 H-1B work visas.   As a result, the H-1B cap registration selection period has been completed and all selected registrants (via their employer or attorney) ...

Many of our readers are aware that as of April 1, 2024, USCIS had received number (not announced yet) of H-1B cap registrations which is sufficient to fill the annual H-1B quota and they have completed the random lottery to allocate the available visa numbers. Selected registrants should already have been notified. We wanted to [...]

The post H-1B Alternatives: What Are The Available Visa Options? appeared first on Capitol Immigration Law Group PLLC .

H-1B Alternatives: What Are The Available Visa Options? Many of our readers are aware that as of April 1, 2024, USCIS had received number (not announced yet) of H-1B cap registrations which is sufficient to fill the annual H-1B quota and they have completed the random lottery to allocate the available visa numbers. Selected registrants should already hav...