Monday, June 9th, 2014
CBP Website Now Allows Nonimmigrants to Access 5 years of Arrival/Departure Records The new CBP website allows nonimmigrant travelers to access arrival/departure records going back five years from the request date. This means that travelers may no longer need to file FOIA requests to have their arrival/departure history, speeding up the processing of other FOIA
Thursday, May 1st, 2014
Allowable Business Activities under VWP versus Special Business Concession Visa Author: Orlando Ortega-Medina, Esq. (Originally published on 11 October 2010; Revised 30 April 2014) One of the questions that our law firm receives most often from our business clients is, “What constitutes a proper business activity under the visa waiver program?” This question is most
Monday, March 10th, 2014
DOS Policy Change re Transmission of Immigration Benefits to Children Born Abroad through Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) New DOS guidance confirms that USC “gestational mothers,” i.e., mothers who give birth to a child outside the USA as the result of ART, and who are recognized as the legal parent in the country of birth, but
Monday, March 10th, 2014
Statistics on L-1B RFEs and Denials for 2012 and 2013 Statistics on L-1B RFEs and Denials for 2012 and 2013. 2012: RFE rate, 46%; RFEs resulting in denials, 70%. 2013: RFE rate, 47%; RFEs resulting in denials, 75%. The VSC had a higher rate of approvals than the CSC in both years
Monday, March 10th, 2014
USA/Israel E2 agreement ratified by the Israeli government USA/Israel E2 agreement has now been ratified by the Israeli government, as reported by AILA. Due to the current strikes at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmation of the decision will be published upon conclusion of the strike. Following this, AILA expects that the Israeli procedural
Thursday, October 17th, 2013
SEC Files Charges Against Texas-based EB5 Scheme EB-5 Warning: The SEC filed fraud charges against a Texas-based scheme targeting EB-5 foreign investors, including allegations of soliciting investors prior to the approval of the EB-5 regional center by USCIS and failing to hold investments in escrow as required. (See SEC v. Marco A. Ramirez, et al.,
Thursday, October 17th, 2013
Biometric Exit Improvement Act of 2013 Introduced by Rep. Miller US Representative Miller (R-MI) has introduced the Biometric Exit Improvement Act of 2013, which directs DHS to establish a biometric EXIT data system in airports and seaports, and to conduct a pilot biometric exit program in land ports of entry.
Thursday, October 17th, 2013
H-2B Visa Cap Update As of 11 October 2013, USCIS has receipted 7,535 petitions toward the 33,000 H2B visa cap for the first half of Fiscal Year 2014. This count includes both approved and pending petitions.
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
More than 100 activists arrested outside the US Capitol More than 100 activists have been arrested outside of the US Capitol during a protest to push the House of Representatives to vote on immigration legislation. Included among those those arrested for refusing to move out of the street were 8 Democratic members of Congress.
Tuesday, October 15th, 2013
California’s Governor Brown Signs the TRUST Act into Law California Governor Brown has signed into law several bills that put California at the head of efforts to ameliorate immigration policies at the state and local level. Included in the measures approved by the Governor was the so-called TRUST Act, which limits whom state and local
