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1-888-4VISANW
VISANOW VOICE
April 2010
eBook Chapter 9 Published: 10 Steps Guaranteed to Streamline Your Immigration Process & Increase ROI
 
5/24 Webcast: Top 10 Global Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them
  
VISANOW Expands U.S. Employment Eligibility Compliance Services
  
U.S. Immigration News
FY2011 H-1B Cap Numbers Remain Available as of 4/22
 
Legal Permanent Residents (LPR)  /Green Card 2009 Annual Flow Report
 
Department of Labor (DOL) Processing Time Update: PERM, PWR and LCA 
 
It's that time again - H-1B Season
 
May 2010 Visa Bulletin
 
International
Immigration News
The U.S. Visa Waiver Program Begins in Greece
 
Immigration Changes on the Horizon for the Philippines 
 
 
Twitter Blog Facebook
 
Visanow
 


streamline immigration

 
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eBook Chapter 9 Published: 10 Steps Guaranteed to Streamline Your Immigration Process & Increase ROI

10 best practices that challenge the traditions and myths surrounding immigration law/legal services and will streamline your immigration process. New chapter published: Keep up on legislation and your immigration strategy current.

All  chapters published to date:

  • Chapter 1: Pick the right provider and manage the relationship for success
  • Chapter 2: Use the right technology in structuring an efficient immigration process
  • Chapter 3: Lower and control your cost
  • Chapter 4: Define and frequently review your corporate immigration policy
  • Chapter 5: Map the immigration process steps to educate stakeholders
  • Chapter 6: Educate stakeholders about their responsibilities & manage their expectations
  • Chapter 7: Give employees direct access to their case information and legal advice
  • Chapter 8: Ensure legal immigration compliance
  • Chapter 9: Keep up on legislation and your immigration strategy current

In this chapter, you will learn how to:

  • Identify the most appropriate immigration information sources
  • Develop an efficient system to monitor immigration news without overtaxing your bandwidth
  • Effectively optimize your internal immigration process to account for changes as they happen

Download now!

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5/24 Webcast: Top 10 Global Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them

Receiving rave reviews from Worldwide ERC, the association for Workforce Mobility, webcast attendees last month, VISANOW will present the "Top 10 Global Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them" webcast again on May 24 at 10 a.m. CT. We will examine common flaws of corporate global immigration processes and recommend how to address them. Starting with fundamentals such as defining and enforcing immigration policies, we will continue on to dispelling all-too-familiar myths about when work permits or business visas are sufficient. Further, we will touch on important legislative changes in global hotspots, cost control measures and compliance best practices amidst a climate of increased enforcement.

Attendees will learn:

  • How to increase time and cost efficiencies of your global immigration process.
  • Avoiding pitfalls of common misconceptions of who can work where, for how long with what visas.
  • Risks, ramifications and prevention tactics of immigration non-compliance.
  • Latest immigration updates for select international hotspots such as the UK and China.

Top 10 Global Immigration Mistakes and How Companies Can Avoid Them
Monday, May 24, 2010
11:00 - 12:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CT   
Register now. 

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VISANOW Expands U.S. Employment Eligibility Compliance Services

VISANOW now provides comprehensive U.S. employment eligibility services in addition to global immigration services. Offering I-9 compliance services since 2006, VISANOW's latest I9NOW solution will help you organize I-9's, create efficient I-9 processes and mitigate non-compliance risks. Unlike other providers, I9NOW is backed by unlimited legal advice without any additional fees.

Complementing I-9 related employment eligibility services, VISANOW also covers H-1B Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and Public Access Files (PAFs) as often overlooked compliance requirements.

Read full story.
 
FY2011 H-1B Cap Numbers Remain Available as of 4/22

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released H-1B cap numbers as of April 22, receiving 16,025 toward the 65,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions and 6,739 towards the 20,000 H-1B Master's category. Thus, H-1B cap numbers remain available, and there is still time to submit your FY2011 H-1B visa application for foreign national applicants beginning employment on October 1, 2010 or later.

Read full story.
Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) / Green Card 2009 Annual Flow Report

The Office of Immigration Statistics, a Policy Directorate within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), recently released its Annual Flow Report, providing the latest legal permanent resident (LPR) stats and demographic data on those who received their green cards during fiscal year 2009 (October 1, 2008 - September 30, 2009).

Read full story.

 
Department of Labor (DOL) Processing Time Update: PERM, PWR and LCA

In mid March 2010, we have noticed a significant increase in PERM approvals. The approval process which used to take up to 14 months is now getting shorter. We are receiving approvals for PERMs filed in September 2009. We are also receiving PERM approvals for majority of the cases for which an Audit has been issued. It appears that the DOL is clearing its backlog. Hopefully, this trend will continue, resulting in a progressively shorter approval process.

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It's that time again - H-1B Season

To every thing there is a season, and H-1Bs are no exception. We're especially reminded of such a truth during this time of year, when employers, foreign nationals, and immigration attorneys alike combat their own version of March Madness in order to file their H-1B cap-subject cases by April 1 (the first day that the USCIS will accept H-1B cap petitions for the coming fiscal year).

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May 2010 Visa Bulletin

Mexico became the first country in Fiscal Year 2010 to fall victim to the overburdened employment-based immigrant visa program.  According to the U.S. Department of State's ("DOS") May 2010 Visa Bulletin, visa numbers will no longer be available to Mexican nationals in the EB third and Other Worker preference categories.  This means that, starting on May 1, and until the next fiscal year begins on October 1, Mexicans in those categories can no longer file new Form I-485 applications to adjust status to permanent residency or consular applications for immigrant visa numbers.

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The U.S. Visa Waiver Program Begins in Greece

As of April 5, Greece's participation in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) officially begun, allowing Greek citizens to be able to make short business or tourism trips to the U.S. without the extra step of acquiring a visitor visa, which can sometimes be a lengthy process. 

Read full story.

 
Immigration Changes on the Horizon for the Philippines

Currently in the Philippines when a visa is approved, a rubber stamp is placed in the passport. This is secured upon entry to the Philippines and the rubber stamping is done by the Airport Immigration Officer. The Bureau of Immigration announced it will start implementing a visa sticker in passports to replace the current stamps. This is being done in an effort to combat immigration non-compliance and fraudulent immigration practices. In addition to foiling these fraudulent tendencies, this change will also increase the Bureau of Immigration's revenues by as much as 10 to 20 percent!

Read full story.

 
 

The VISANOW Voice is published monthly by VISANOW.

VISANOW leads the way in Global Immigration and Employment Eligibility services. Our patented process has redefined the way immigration services are delivered and consistently provides faster responses, allows greater access to information and saves time and money. Since 1998, VISANOW has combined superior client support and innovative technology designed to simplify the immigration process for thousands of corporations and their foreign employees. For more information, please visit www.visanow.com.

Any legal analysis or comments contained herein have been provided by American Services Network, P.C. and do not constitute the provisions of legal services and, therefore, should not be relied upon as legal advice. If you believe that any of the information contained in this newsletter relates to your immigration status or to your company's immigration issues, you should consult your immigration legal services provider.

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