What's New

USCIS will suspend premium processing for H-1B extensions from May 26 through July 27 in order to devote resources to the upcoming H-4 employment authorization program. The unexpected announcement is likely to have a significant negative impact on employers, H-1B foreign nationals and their H-4 dependents. Fragomen and other immigration stakeholders are working to obtain clarification from USCIS and to communicate the effect of the suspension on U.S. businesses.

USCIS announced today that it has reinstated premium processing for H-1B extension petitions – two weeks earlier than anticipated. Beginning today, the agency will accept Form I-907 premium processing requests for any H-1B petition requesting an extension of stay, but any request to premium process an H-1B extension received prior to July 13, 2015 will be rejected.  

The premium processing suspension was put in place on May 19 to allow USCIS to devote resources to the new H-4 employment authorization program, which opened on May 26. The suspension was originally set to end on July 27, but has been lifted early because the agency's H-4 EAD workload was not as onerous as expected.   

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals?

Employers who were unable to submit a premium processing request or whose earlier request was rejected for the underlying H-1B extension petition can now upgrade to premium processing by submitting Form I-907 and its required fee.  New H-1B extension petitions with a request for premium processing will also be accepted as of today.  

Reprinted with permission from Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

USCIS today announced that it has finished returning H-1B petitions that were not selected in the FY 2016 cap lottery.  Employers with cases not chosen for processing should receive their returned petition packages and fee checks by July 20, 2015.
Reprinted with permission from Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

In United States immigration news this week, a long-awaited White House report recommended wide-ranging administrative improvements to the U.S. legal immigration system, including plans to improve the manner in which employment-based immigrant visas are allocated. 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reinstated premium processing for H-1B extension petitions received by the agency on or after July 13, 2015. The suspension was originally set to end on July 27. While USCIS continues to process receipted FY 2016 H-1B cap petitions, the agency estimates that all H-1B cap petitions not selected in the lottery will be returned by July 20, 2015.

Reprinted with permission from Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

Are you an F-1 student who is the beneficiary of an H-1B petition and a request to change status to H-1B for employment starting on October 1, 2014? If you are planning to travel abroad between now and October 1, you should carefully consider whether your travel is necessary.

USCIS is suspending premium processing for H-1B extensions from May 26 through July 27 in order to devote resources to the upcoming H-4 employment authorization program. The suspension is likely to have a significant negative impact on employers, H-1B foreign nationals and their H-4 dependents.

A significantly revised and broadened STEM optional practical training (OPT) program will take effect on May 10 under a final regulation slated to be published in the Federal Register on Friday. An advance copy of the rule was made available today.

An article published in 2006, predicting that “Many Chinese manufacturers will face financial distress in five to ten years. The effect will ripple through to the financial institutions which have lent relentlessly in favor of real estate speculation and capital expansion.”

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2018 is the Year of the Dog (or Wùxi). In the Chinese sexagenary cycle, which historically was used for reckoning time in China, the dog symbolizes luck. According to Chinese folk religion, the year of the dog, which recurs every 12 years in the cycle, is considered a challenging year in which harmony is crucial to achieving prosperity. So far, 2018 has proven to be extraordinary in this respect, since the desire to achieve harmony in U.S.-China trade relationship—the largest bilateral trading relationship in human history—has been overshadowed by continued disputes and accusations of unfair practices...

"According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2017 is the year of the Rooster, an astrological sign associated with optimism, confidence, energy, and productivity.

The extent to which these qualities will be reflected in the performance of the Chinese economy this year will depend on whether or not the global recovery can improve China’s exports. Propitiously, China’s economy entered 2017 on firm footing......"

This article will be published in Diplomatic Courier's special G7 issue to be distributed to the delegates attending the G7 summit this year in Taorimina, Italy.