What Happens if the Government Shuts Down?
As budget negotiations continue, the current indications are that if Congress fails to come to an agreement before Friday, April 28, 2017, the most likely scenario will be a one to two week continuing resolution to buy lawmakers additional time to reach a deal. Though a government shutdown does not appear likely, until a deal is reached or a CR is passed, the threat always remains a possibility. Drawing on information from 2013, when the federal government closed for 16 days
USCIS Policy Memorandum Designates Matter of O-A- as an Adopted Decision
An April 17, 2017, USCIS policy memorandum designates the decision of the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) in Matter of O-A-, Inc. as an Adopted Decision. Accordingly, this adopted decision establishes policy guidance that applies to and binds all USCIS employees. USCIS personnel are directed to follow the reasoning in this decision in similar cases. Matter of O-A-, Inc. clarifies that the USCIS must conduct a case-specific analysis to determine whether, at the time a prov
CIS Releases May 2017 AOS Filing Dates
As stated in the MIGblog post of April 19, 2017 (link here), the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA") sets annual worldwide and per-country numerical limits on employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas. These visas are supply-side "products," allocated on a first-come, first-served basis (in sequential order, based upon applicants' priority dates). The May 2017 Visa Bulletin is issued on the basis of reported demand received from the DOS (visa applicants) and t
DOS Releases May 2017 Visa Bulletin
The Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA") sets annual worldwide and per-country numerical limits on employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas. These visas are supply-side "products," allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The May 2017 Visa Bulletin is issued on the basis of reported demand received from DOS (visa applicants) and CIS (adjustment applicants) by April 11, 2017. The bulletin includes notes regarding visa availability in employment-based pref
FY2018 H-1B Cap - Facts + Figures
On April 7, 2017, USCIS announced that it had received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 H-1B visas and 20,000 advanced degree visas for FY2018. On April 17, 2017, USCIS announced that it had received 199,000 H-1B petitions during the filing period, which began April 3. This represents a 15.7 percent decrease from the 236,000 petitions that USCIS received during last year's filing period. In an atmosphere of uncertainty, it is not surprising that fewe
