The Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), a component of the U.S. Department of Labor, announced earlier this month the implementation of a new “one-stop visa portal system” called the iCERT System, to improve employer access to employment-based visa and green card services. Beginning April 15, 2009, employers or their authorized representatives will be able to register with [...]

Before an employer files a petition for an H-1B visa for a prospective employee it is important that certain rules are followed to minimize the chances of rejection by the USCIS. Below is a list of five do’s and don’ts that a petitioning employer should take into consideration when submitting an H-1B visa petition. Do’s Ensure that all questions on the application Form [...]

The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an update a few minutes ago that it will continue to accept H-1B visa petitions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. It seems that the USCIS hasn’t received the requisite number of petitions to meet the congressionally mandated caps of 65,000 applications under the regular cap, and 20,000 for [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced additional requirements for employers who have received funds through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) or under Section 13 of the Federal Reserve Act before hiring a foreign national to work in the H-1B specialty occupation category. On February 17, 2009, the Employ American Workers Act (EAWA) was signed into [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year 2010 (FY 2010) cap on April 1, 2009.  Petitions will be considered as accepted on the date that USCIS processes payment of the filing fees associated with the petition, not the date that the petition is postmarked. USCIS will [...]