Tag: h-1b

Sigh of Relief for Extensions beyond the 6th Year

I have been fielding a lot of question recently regarding the current administrations intentions regarding H-1B extensions beyond the 6th year. In the face of the uproar and uncertainty that was caused when the current administration let it be known that this was possibly on the chopping block, it now appears to be out of… Continue reading Sigh of Relief for Extensions beyond the 6th Year

Do I (Still) Qualify for the H1B Master Cap?

On May 31, 2017, USCIS released a memo clarifying that to be eligible for an H-1B cap exemption based on a Master’s Degree, the school from where the beneficiary obtained their degree has to have been a U.S. “institution of higher education” when the degree was earned. The policy memo cites to Matter of A-T-… Continue reading Do I (Still) Qualify for the H1B Master Cap?

Attacks on Trump’s EO

The attacks on Trump’s new EO are growing in number as people review what the EO is trying to achieve. An article in The Federalist is worth reading. Another article at SHRM.org discusses the limitations that the President has in making meaningful changes to the H-1b program without legislative action.

Employers Seeking H-1B Visas Should Not Discriminate Against US Workers Warns the U.S. Department of Justice

Yesterday, April 3rd was the first day the USCIS began accepting H-1B visa petitions that are subject to the cap for the next fiscal year (October 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018). The H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to employ temporarily foreign workers in specialty occupations including science and technology. The anti-discrimination provisions of the… Continue reading Employers Seeking H-1B Visas Should Not Discriminate Against US Workers Warns the U.S. Department of Justice

USCIS issues new memo on Computer Programmers and H-1b qualification

On Fri., USCIS HQ issued a new memo rescinding a 2000 memorandum and reminding employers that the occupation of “computer programmer” particularly level 1 positions may not meet the H-1b standards. The memo remarked that the basis of the 2000 memo i.e. the DOL’s OOH Handbook and the industry itself has changed considerably in the… Continue reading USCIS issues new memo on Computer Programmers and H-1b qualification

TechServe Alliance Defends the H-1b visa

In the face of recent attacks, which have portrayed the H-1b visa as a blight on the highly skilled but, unable to find employment U.S. worker; Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance pens a well thought out article which describes the need for access to talented workers, defends the proper use of the H-1b visa,… Continue reading TechServe Alliance Defends the H-1b visa

Rough week for H-1b visas

The week started with a 60 minutes news segment and now a Bloomberg article. Many expect the increased and widespread negative publicity to accelerate the consideration of legislation to make sweeping changes to the H-1b visa. Senator Grassley wasted no time in jumping on the opportunity to push his proposed bill. However, as we have… Continue reading Rough week for H-1b visas

Shooting of H-1b workers saddens and stirs fear

The shootings of two H-1b engineers near Kansas this past week, resulting in the death of one of them has saddened and stirred fear among the Indian community. We offer our condolences to his family. Many are quick to link this shooting to the nationalistic and inflammatory rhetoric which has become commonplace since President Trump… Continue reading Shooting of H-1b workers saddens and stirs fear

What a Trump Presidency means for you ?

Although much of the immigration related Trump campaign for Presidency focused on “building a wall” and other enforcement issues, he did make some far-reaching comments such as “the H-1b visa should be eliminated” only to back track on that position later. He has surrounded himself with some immigration advisers, most notably, Senator Sessions who are… Continue reading What a Trump Presidency means for you ?