US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced the H-1B cap count today. More than 20,000 H-1B slots are still open in the regular H-1B quota. There is still time to file an H-1B application! For those holding a US Master’s degree, USCIS announced receipt of approximately 20,000 advanced degree cases, but…
Since the USCIS has received less than the maximum number of cases it can accept, employers and applicants who opted for premium processing to get an expedited response for H-1B status will begin receiving receipt notices dated April 7, 2009, which will be counted as the first day in the…
The US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) published a confirmation of how the H-1B lottery will be conducted this year. It is anticipated that the quota will fill up in the first few days after the initial filing date of April 1, 2009. CIS has confirmed that if the agency…
President Obama has signed the extension of the Religious Workers program allowing non-ministers to submit applications for permanent residency. Commonly known as the “religious workers sunset,” the provision allows non-ministerial religious workers such as nuns, brothers, cantors, religious school teachers to apply for permanent residency. The extension is set to…
Five days before Christmas, the Los Angeles Times reported a loss of nearly 42,000 jobs in the month of November. This raises the unemployment rate in California to a historic high of 8.4 percent. I am often asked whether workers on H-1B or L-1 status can be terminated even…