The annual Diversity Lottery (i.e. green card lottery) opened this week. The registration period is from October 2, 2019 until noon Eastern Standard Time on November 5, 2019. Each year the U.S. State Department runs the program to encourage individuals from countries with historically low numbers of immigrants to the United States to apply for […]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services this week announced an “enhancement” to the E-Verify system that employers use to confirm that new employees have authorization to work in the United States. It has created more frustration than anything. The update to the system is to accept only an “Unrestricted Social Security Number” when entering the new […]
As a follow up to my November 30, 2018 post on the H-1B pre-registration system, there remains uncertainty whether the system will launch for next year’s cap season. USCIS still does not appear ready to go live with pre-registration early next year. Several stakeholder organizations also have written to USCIS urging the agency to publish […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report on E-2 visas this month following a review of E-2 visa applications for fiscal years 2014-18. The two key takeaways are: (1) Inconsistency among U.S. consulates continues, and (2) It’s still better to apply for an E-2 visa abroad, rather than through USCIS in the United […]
If there is one positive thing that has come out of the Trump administration, it’s broader civic engagement. The mid-term election cycle showed us a welcome range of diverse candidates. We’re also seeing more and more interest and participation in all levels of government. This brings me to the topic of this post. When was […]
Human Resources professionals who have been around a decade may remember the last batch of so-called “no match letters” that the Social Security Administration sent to employers to notify them that the Social Security Numbers they provided for employee withholdings did not match SSA records for those employees. The letters then directed employers to inquire […]
Trying to make sense of immigration processing times long has been an exercise in reading tea leaves. The government posts estimated processing times, and then experience reveals a different reality. Sometimes decisions come sooner. Often, they come much, much later. Nowadays it can be just as bad applying for a visa at the U.S. embassy […]
During a March 1, 2019 stakeholder conference call, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained the new I-539 Application form. USCIS will require applicants to use the new form March 22, 2019. Persons in the U.S. on a temporary visa, such as a B-1 or B-2 visitor, or an H-4 or L-2 dependent family member […]
Up to now, H-1B and L-1 workers applying for their visas In China had five locations from which to choose: U.S. Embassy in Beijing and U.S. Consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang. Effective March 1, 2019, persons applying for either H or L visas who require an in-person interview must apply at the Embassy […]
Before we bid farewell to 2018, I thought I’d offer one final post on how the increasing legalization of marijuana cultivation, sale and use in many states can impact foreign nationals in the United States. The federal government has yet to consider the question of what to do about marijuana, which means it remains a […]
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