H-1B Specialty Occupation & H-4 Dependent visas

With the FY2024 electronic registration approaching employers and their potential candidates are getting ready to submit their entries into the H-1B lottery.  However, with only 85,000 visas available and given that last year saw almost half a million registrations people are wondering how they can improve their chances of being selected. I often get asked...

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One of the biggest issues faced by spouses of H-1 and L-1 holders in the last few years was that USCIS stopped processing their applications even when filed with the principal application.  This resulted in much uncertainty and due to delays in processing cases many spouses were forced to stop working. Prior to the Trump...

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Chris Prescott is Patel Law Group’s Senior Immigration Attorney and handles all Employment and Family-based Immigration matters including EB1, EB2 & EB3 filings, Labor Certification & PERM processing, I-140 & I-485 filings, EAD & Advance Parole, H1B petitions, amendments, transfers and extensions, L1A & L1B, K1 & K3 visas, I-130 & I-485 filings, removal of...

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On January 4, 2023, USCIS posted a notice of proposed rulemaking to adjust filing fees. Certain fees, particularly cases filed using form I-129 (H-1B, L-1A, L-1B, etc.) could potentially see significant hikes as well as EB-5. Here of a brief overview of some of the notable proposed fee increases: Immigration benefit Current fee Proposed fee...

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When USCIS announced that H-4 holders would qualify for an automatic extension of their EAD, this was praised as a move in the right direction.  However, the caveat to this rule is that to qualify for an automatic extension an individual needs to have a valid I-94. The automatic extension was initially 180 days, but...

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