The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released H-1B cap numbers as of 4/22, receiving 8,000 toward the 65,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions and 5,900 towards the 20,000 H-1B Master's category.

Thus, H-1B cap numbers remain available, and there is still time to submit your FY2012 H-1B visa application for foreign national applicants beginning employment on October 1, 2011 or later.  Contact VISANOW to see if this is an option for you/your foreign national.

VISANOW will be blogging regular updates on the H-1B cap in addition to notifying our social media followers of real-time information through Facebook and Twitter.

Photo attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8042373@N03/

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David Cameron, British Prime Minister, stands at the precipice of one of the most controversial decisions concerning UK immigration since the 1960’s. As the new coalition government leader, Cameron struggles with negotiating his inherent conservative politics with the Liberal Democrats’ views on immigration. In a speech given on April 14th concerning the progress of the new regime, David Cameron revealed his plan to reduce net migration “in the order of tens of thousands each year, not the hundreds of thousands every year that we have seen over the last decade". In doing so, he hopes to alleviate social tension within family neighborhoods, reduce the amount of fraudulent marriages, and free up more jobs for UK-born nationals.

Concerned with the growing discrepancy between those entering and those exiting, Cameron fears the loose lasso of previous administrations could have muddied the social waters. However, many find his cap bordering...

Nothing can stop the steady flow of time, and with another month comes another Visa Bulletin. Yet, with time comes progress, and progress seemed to be the theme of Visa Bulletin for May 2011. More so than the family-based categories, the employment-based categories showed promising increases.

Notably, the priority date for Indian nationals in the EB second category finally improved. The priority date for EB-2 Indian nationals had held fast at 05/08/2006 since the September 2010 Visa Bulletin, but May 2011 brought a momentum change for the category as it bustled forward two months to 07/01/2006. The EB-2 category for China moved forward, too, albeit only by ten days.

All of the EB-3 categories also inched on in a promising direction, however, the EB third category for Indian nationals just barely improved. India moved ahead one week to 04/15/2002. China advanced over one month...

Almost one year has gone by since Arizona passed the most controversial statewide immigration law in history, sparking debate across the country.   The nation watched as Arizona’s injured reputation upset businesses and tourism, while the state entered into a legal battle with the Federal government to determine if the new laws are constitutionally sound.  To say that S.B. 1070 paved the way for statewide immigration legislation is erroneous, yet the “Arizona-style” approach has been repeated in other immigration bills introduced since the adoption of S.B. 1070.

The trend of statewide immigration policy may have snowballed from the onset of S.B. 1070, but the frustration began with the Obama administration’s and Congress’s inability to find a comprehensive immigration solution by focusing on employer enforcement.  State lawmakers have made it clear that they are willing to take matters into their own hands - in many cases contesting...

On Friday, April 15, the U.S. Embassy in Japan replaced their previously issued Travel Warning with an updated Travel Alert, affirming that health and safety risks outside the 50-mile evacuation zone of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are low and do not significantly threaten the well-being of U.S. citizens.

The analysis is said to have considered all age groups as well as the long-term effects the surrounding area may pose.  The overall condition of the plant, while still serious, has dramatically improved and restored most of the cooling, power, water and back up services.  U.S. scientists stationed in Japan have verified the alerts reflect protocol that would be taken in the United States in a similar situation.

The Voluntary Authorized Departure, imposed by the Department of State, has now been lifted to allow dependents of U.S. government...

The first H-1B cap count for the 2012 employment season was released Thursday, April 7, despite scares of a government shutdown.  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported receiving 5,900 toward the 65,000 regular cap-subject H-1B petitions and 4,500 towards the 20,000 H-1B Master's category.   While these initial counts represent a decrease from last year’s standings, data suggests that the ongoing increases in hiring will contribute to a rising cap.

Thus, H-1B cap numbers remain available, and there is still time to submit your FY2012 H-1B visa application for foreign national applicants beginning employment on October 1, 2011 or later.  Contact VISANOW to see if this is an option for you/your foreign national.

VISANOW will be blogging regular updates on the H-1B cap in addition to notifying our social media followers of real-time information...

One might think that with the looming threat of a government shutdown, panic would have set in by now.  Hopefully, this composure is due, at least in part, to the trust we’ve put in elected officials, and not because of the general public's oblivion to the severity of a shutdown's consequences.  Tonight, Friday, April 6, marks the expiration of the federal budget, of which Congress continues relentless negotiation. The threat of a government shutdown opens the door to a good deal of uncertainty in the realm of immigration.  VISANOW Chief Executive Officer Robert Meltzer states, “The likelihood of immigration-related consequences cannot be ruled out.  Our concern is focused on service sectors such as the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of State (DOS), where delayed operations could result in the disruption of application processing, PERM and H-1B filings, labor condition applications and...

Is hiring on the rise at your company?  Are you concerned or overwhelmed with the immigration application process?  On Wednesday, April 13, 2011, VISANOW will host a free webinar conquering several of the immigration application challenges facing HR professionals today.  With H-1B season underway, foreign hiring is increasing and the employment of foreign nationals is already on the rise. With such limited time, HR professionals must ensure their immigration applications are approved the first time around to avoid the high costs associated with recruiting, the dreaded Request for Evidence (RFE) and government compliance visits. Attend this webinar sponsored by VISANOW to ensure your immigration petitions are properly prepared from the...

The April 2011 Visa Bulletin shows continued movement forward for the employment-based immigration categories, while the family-based categories evidence the government’s inability to accurately forecast or address the continued increase in demand.  

Almost all employment-based preference categories showed modest gains, continuing the encouraging trend of recent months: 

 

China was again the only country in the EB second preference category to progress, increasing by two weeks to 07/22/2006.  India remained in the same place it has been since September 2010, stalled at 05/08/2006. The EB third category again saw encouraging progression for all countries. Mexico is again the greatest beneficiary, jumping ahead by eight months to 05/08/2004. China advanced five weeks to 03/01/2004 India continued its consistent advancement, moving forward three weeks,...

Last week, Arizona rejected five anti-immigration bills in one day.  The new bills sought to end automatic citizenship for the newborns of illegal immigrants, require hospitals and schools to collect records on undocumented patients and students, and make it a crime for illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license.  This is a potential sign that Arizona’s “go-at-it-alone” approach in cracking down on illegal immigration is dwindling. 

Why the recent rejection? The answer is, of course, money. Sixty chief executives petitioned to the Legislature stating “unintended consequences,” such as boycotts, lost jobs, canceled contracts, and bad publicity are causing businesses to suffer because of  the negative connotation with Arizona’s name.  Glenn Hamer, the chief executive of the Arizona’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry has stated that extremism has cost the state $15 million to $150 million in lost tourism revenue.

These...