January 2007 ★ Archive of Immigration News

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released guidance on determining periods of admission for those previously in H-4 or L-2 status, those applying for additional periods of admission beyond the H-1B six-year maximum, and those who have not exhausted the six-year maximum but who have been absent from the U.S. for over one year. Read the rest of this entry »

The Social Security Administration (SSA) lists the following documentation required of a foreign worker in order to obtain a Social Security number (SSN) for work purposes: Read the rest of this entry »

The 109th session of Congress ended in December with no progress on major immigration reform legislation or on the Securing Knowledge, Innovation, and Leadership (SKIL) Act of 2006, which was intended to provide visa shortage relief for key foreign nationals working in the U.S. As noted by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in a detailed report, security concerns figured prominently in congressional debates this past year, and immigration enforcement remains on Congress’s agenda. Additional action is possible early in 2007 when appropriations bills will be considered. Read the rest of this entry »

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-2B petitions to reach the cap for the first six months of fiscal year (FY) 2007. USCIS will reject new petitions for H-2B workers seeking employment start dates before April 1, 2007. The agency will continue to accept petitions for new H-2B workers seeking employment start dates on or after April 1, 2007, only if such petitions are supported by a valid temporary labor certification. Read the rest of this entry »

The Department of State issued a final rule amending guidance to consular officers for the waiver of personal appearances of applicants for nonimmigrant visas. The most significant change is that a consular officer must now interview persons in the same age ranges as persons covered by biometric collection requirements. In addition to the existing list of situations in which an interview may not be waived, the personal interview requirement may not be waived for nonimmigrant visa applicants from third countries and applicants who have been refused visas previously or found ineligible for visas, where that ineligibility was not overcome. Read the rest of this entry »