Blog - Kazmi & Sakata

The O-1 visa is one of the most widely misunderstood immigration programs offered by the United States State Department and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The first aspect to understand about the O-1 visa program is that it falls under the category of non-immigrant visas, which means that it is a visa for …Read More

The unfortunate events of September 11th, 2001 brought about major changes in immigration law and customs policies around the world. Air travel is a far cry from what it used to be in the days before 9/11, and the United States is one of the countries where the impact of the resulting security measures have …Read More

Generally speaking, individuals who arrive in the United States as exchange visitors under the J-1 and J-2 visas are required to return to their country of origin for a two-year period before they can apply for reentry under the same visa program. This applies to physicians, teachers, university students, professors engaged in research, au pairs, …Read More

  On May 21, 2013, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on a bipartisan vote of 13 to 5, to pass Senate Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. It is now out of the committee and will be sent to the Senate floor for a full vote in the coming days …Read More

May 14th, 2013 was a busy day for the United States Senate Judiciary Committee Majority. The day started with a press release from the committee that stressed the need for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) as it relates to the labor needs of the country. The press release included this elucidating tidbit of information: The dot-com …Read More

In the United States, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has been affecting several aspects of life since it became effective in 1967. This federal law establishes a framework for releasing documents and information kept by the U.S. government. For immigrants, the FOIA is an important tool to inquire about every document and piece of …Read More

If you’re a foreign national visiting the United States, recent changes to immigration Form I-94 (your arrival and departure record for your visit to the U.S.) will likely streamline your entry process. An interim rule published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2013 changes the definition of Form I-94 to include electronic formats as …Read More

Senate Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, is being touted as of the most comprehensive legislative proposals in the United States since the Patriot Act and Dodd-Frank. At more than 840 pages, the massive immigration reform plan is sponsored by the “Gang of 8,” a bipartisan group of …Read More

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service began data entry for H-1B petitions selected in the lottery. Premium processing cases are being handled first and data entry for those cases should be completed by April 15. Data entry for non-premium cases will likely not be completed until sometime in May, and rejection notices for petitions not selected …Read More

USCIS announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2014. USCIS has also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption. After today, USCIS will not accept H-1B petitions subject …Read More