It is no secret that, ever since the Trump Administration first came into office in 2017, the H-1B visa program has undergone significant changes and challenges. Unfortunately, 2020 promises to be no different; H-1Bs and the H-1B visa process will undergo perhaps the biggest fundamental change since the program’s inception in 1990. In the past,[…]
Yesterday was the last day to comment on proposed rules to increase USCIS fees. It’s really by design that such an important comment period falls smack in the middle of the holiday period. I hope at least some of you were able to get your comments in. Having read most of the rule at this[…]
The January 2020 Visa Bulletin was released earlier today. Disappointingly, EB1 India continues to see no movement, and the prognosis is that there will be little if any forward movement for the foreseeable future. Here at the office, we are preparing contingency plans for all of our EB1 India clients, including exploring other visa options[…]
USCIS issued a new policy today that will add several layers of brick to the invisible wall. Issues that were not previously considered in citizenship cases will now be part of the ‘good moral character’ assessment. We will write more about this soon. In the meantime, here is what USCIS said this morning: Copied from[…]
The day has finally come. USCIS has announced the implementation of the electronic registration process for next year’s H-1B lottery, forever changing the landscape of H-1Bs. Instead of preparing and filing completed H-1B petitions and then finding out whether or not that petition was selected in the lottery, employers (or their attorneys) will now electronically[…]
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of interview Martine Kalaw on our radio-show-turned-podcast, Tahmina Talks Immigration. She is the author of “Illegal Among Us“. I first met Martine in the summer of 2019 when she was the keynote speaker and award recipient of the American Immigration Council Heritage Award. Her story is so[…]
It was an absolute honor and privilege to appear on the popular legal podcast Lawyers Who Rock, hosted by renowned rock media lawyer Joleen Hughes! Joleen represents a lot of stars in the media industry, among others. The episode will be released soon, stay tuned!Thank you Joleen for talking immigration with me and having me[…]
We are thankful to all our clients, colleagues and friends for the privilege of helping them. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Watson Immigration Law to all of you. .
The December 2019 Visa Bulletin was released earlier today. Once again, nothing particularly noteworthy except that the employment-based categories for India continue to see no movement. Commentary: December 2019 For all countries except India, China, Philippines, and Mexico: F2A category priority date remains current, F2B preference advances 31 days to a PD[…]