Blog - Kazmi & Sakata

The USCIS has recently informed us that 22,323 cap-subject H-1B petitions have been received as of April 4, 2012. Approximately 25% of these cases are for U.S. advanced degrees. Based on this announcement, approximately 17,000 of the 65,000 “regular” H-1B cap-subject petitions have been filed and 5,500 “Masters” H-1B cap-subject petitions. Last year, it took …Read More

Due to the violent upheaval and deteriorating situation in the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on March 29th that eligible Syrian nationals (and persons without nationality who last habitually resided in Syria) in the United States may apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). On March 23, 2012, Secretary of …Read More

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 cap on Monday April 2, 2012. Cases will be considered accepted on the date that USCIS takes possession of a properly filed petition with the correct fee. USCIS will not rely upon the …Read More

Charlie Oppenheim, Chief, Immigrant Visa Control & Reporting in the State Department, provided AILA with further information on priority date movement in the EB-2 category for China-mainland born and India for the remainder of FY2012. When the May Visa Bulletin is published, the China and India EB-2 cut-off will retrogress to August 15, 2007. Demand …Read More

Visa services will be limited during July and August for all nonimmigrant visa categories. Therefore, the Embassy is encouraging applicants to apply for visas during the spring and early summer as appointment availability cannot be guaranteed. To facilitate this, they have opened up the appointment calendar through until the end of June. Appointments are scheduled …Read More

Due to the current situation in Syria, the U.S. Embassy in Damascus no longer accept I-130 petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (which fall into the IR category). Please contact the Immigrant Visa (IV) Unit at Embassy Amman, the designated processing post for Syrian visa cases, at [email protected] to schedule an appointment to submit …Read More

As a part of comprehensive immigration reform, the President supports legislative measures that would attract and retain immigrants who create jobs and boost competitiveness here in the U.S., including creating a “Startup Visa,” strengthening the H-1B program, and “stapling” green cards to the diplomas of certain foreign-born graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) …Read More

The President announced that the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working together to improve and speed up the visa process for certain categories of travelers. Since 9/11, the United States has developed an intensive, multi-layered visa screening process, including multiple biographic and biometric checks, all supported by a sophisticated global information technology network. …Read More

The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai, Inda will no longer process Immigrant Visa petitions as of January 1, 2012. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai will become the only acceptance centers in India for Immigrant Visas. The Immigrant Visa allows an individual to live and work in the United States …Read More

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has changed the filing locations for Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. Domestic Petitioners will mail their stand-alone I-130 applications to either the Chicago Lockbox or the Phoenix Lockbox, depending on where they reside in the United States. The new filing locations will be updated with the corresponding addresses …Read More