FY2021 H-1B visa Cap Has Been Reached:On February 16, 2021, USCIS announced that it has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2021.USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise EXEMPT from the cap and are filed to:* Extend the amount of time a current H-1B worker may remain in the [...]

USCIS to Launch 2021 Cap-Subject H-1B Registration Starting March 1 February 28, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) today announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 H-1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 20. Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their representatives will be able to register during this time period. Submitting an H-1B registration requires a USCIS online [...]

USCIS Revises Interview Waiver Guidance for Form I-751 USCIS has issued a policy memorandum (PDF, 115 KB) (PM) providing guidance to USCIS officers on when to consider waiving the interview requirement for Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This PM goes into effect on December 10, 2018 and applies to all Form I-751 petitions received on or after December 10. Generally, USCIS officers must interview a conditional permanent resident who is the principal [...]

USCIS Clarifies the L-1 One-Year Foreign Employment Requirement USCIS has published a policy memorandum (PDF, 121 KB) (PM) clarifying the requirement that a qualifying organization employ a principal L-1 beneficiary abroad for one continuous year out of the three years before the time of petition filing (“one-year foreign employment requirement”). This clarification is intended to ensure consistent adjudication of L-1 petitions by providing a standard basis for calculating [...]

USCIS Revising Validity Period of Form I-693 USCIS is revising policy guidance for the validity period of Form I-693, Report of Medical Examination and Vaccination Record. The updated policy, which goes into effect on Nov. 1, 2018, will require applicants to submit a Form I-693 that is signed by a civil surgeon no more than 60 days before filing the underlying application for an immigration benefit. The Form I-693 would remain valid for a two-year period following the date the civil [...]