Beginning April 30, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will no longer adjudicate L-1 intracompany transferee petitions for Canadian citizens at the Blaine, Washington ports of entry. Canadians seeking L-1 status who wish to enter the United States through Blaine must first file their petitions with the USCIS California Service Center for processing. This… Continue reading Canadian L-1 Applicants at Blaine, Washington Ports of Entry
Tag: L-1
L-1 RFE’s are handed out inconsistently between Service Centers?
The Service’s annual 2016 report to the Ombudsman was recently release and contained concerning information for L-1 visa petitioners. Unfortunately, the RFE rates of L-1 visas appear to continue to have no rhyme or reason. “L-1A RFE data shows inverse trending between the CSC and the VSC. For example, CSC’s L-1A rates surged to 55… Continue reading L-1 RFE’s are handed out inconsistently between Service Centers?
H1-B and L-1 Reform Bill Introduced
On July 8, 2016, Bill Pascrell Jr., Democrat – New Jersey, introduced legislation Thursday designed to “overhaul” the H1-B and L-1 visa programs. H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016, or H.R. 5657. The bill is being introduced under the guise of protecting workers and cracking down on foreign outsourcing companies that “take high-skill… Continue reading H1-B and L-1 Reform Bill Introduced
Updates to Increases in H-1B and L-1 Petition Fees
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113) was signed into law on December 18, 2015 and increased the fee for certain H-1B and L-1 petitioners. USCIS issued a web alert today that the additional fee now applies when a petitioner employs 50 or more individuals in the United States, with more than 50% of… Continue reading Updates to Increases in H-1B and L-1 Petition Fees
H-1b and L-1 Filing fees to double
Buried in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill that Congress is currently considering is a provision that would re-instate and double the “penalty” filing fee imposed on employers with 50 or more employees where 50% of those employees are H-1b or L-1b visa holders. The new fee would also apply to extensions. The new penalty fee for… Continue reading H-1b and L-1 Filing fees to double
Public Law 111-230 Fee Expiration Opens Window
On October 1, 2015, Congress failed to extend the additional filing fees for petitioners whose workforces are heavily reliant on H-1B and L-1 employees. The law, known as Public Law 111-230, required an extra $2,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions, and a $2,250 fee for L-1A and L-1B petitions, whose company had 50 or more… Continue reading Public Law 111-230 Fee Expiration Opens Window
L-1B Template for RFE’s
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a draft template of requests for evidence (RFE) for L-1B petitions and is taking comments on the proposed form, a copy of which can be found here. USCIS will take comments until July 31. This is a follow up to its Memorandum on L-1B Adjudications Policy earlier this… Continue reading L-1B Template for RFE’s
U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad Announces Change
Last week, the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad announced changes to the process of submission of documents for H-1b and L-1 visa issuance. No longer will they require documents to be submitted in advance to the VFS but, documents must be brought in person at the time of the interview. This change also applies to persons… Continue reading U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad Announces Change
CBP on L visas under NAFTA
The CBP released a statement on its procedures for handling L petitions under NAFTA. Our experience is that CBP officers have a far greater grasp of the L regulatory standards and far less of a political agenda than their US Consulate brethren and that well-prepared L petitions are met with routine approval at the border.
DHS Releases data on NIV usage
Last week, the DHS released data regarding NIV usage in FY2010. Although it conatins a lot of data that could easily go into the category of “why would anyone need to know that ?” it is probably worth the 5 minutes it will take to skim through it.
The End of H-1b visas for consulting/staffing cos. ?
Senate bill 887 proposed by Senators Grassley and Durbin, contains provisions that if enacted would eliminate the use of H-1b visas for any staffing or consulting company. Essentially, the bill would prohibit the placement of H-1b workers at any third party work-sites unless a waiver was first obtained and a waiver would not be available… Continue reading The End of H-1b visas for consulting/staffing cos. ?