Employment-Based Immigration

Travelling should be a fun experience.  However, returning to the U.S. and navigating the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) process usually isn’t. This article talks about Travel tips for F-1 students wanting to travel on OPT, STEM OPT or Day 1 CPT. OPT Travelling on post completion OPT (initial 12 months) should not be...

The Patel Law Group’s immigration practice obtained approval for an L-1A petition. It was for a manager at a multinational. The U.S. entity petitioned for the beneficiary. The entity is a fine-jewelry and diamonds wholesaler and marketer in New York. They needed the beneficiary’s expertise as President. They would oversee Sales and Marketing. The main...

The Patel Law Group immigration practice was retained to obtain first-time E-2 approval for a treaty investor and family.. The investor formed a new entity in the state of Texas, to purchase part of the assets of an already established business in the United States. The purchased assets, namely a client list of the accounting...

Premium processing for change of status applications is finally being made available to students, marking a significant development. Previously, transitioning from say a B-1/B-2 to F-1 status could take more than 18 months, leaving individuals unable to commence their studies and stuck in a state of uncertainty. Moreover, due to the prolonged processing time, USCIS...

The compelling circumstances-based Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is a specific type of work permit issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued to beneficiaries of approved employment-based petitions and who cannot obtain the green card due to a backlog. It allows individuals who are in the United States on certain non-immigrant visa...

USCIS recently confirmed the receipt of 780,884 registrations for FY 2024, marking an increase of about 62% from the previous year. This surge in registrations explains the low selection rates this year. This same agency also announced that it has verified the presence of collusion among technology companies who aim to improve the probability of...

The Visa Bulletin is a critical resource for anyone seeking to immigrate to the United States. This monthly publication, issued by the US Department of State (DOS), provides valuable information on the availability of immigrant visas for individuals from various countries and categories. Understanding the Visa Bulletin and its complex system of priority dates and...

Finally, some clarity from USCIS on a long standing issue. USCIS recently announced that they are updating the USCIS Policy Manual to address situations when the last day to file a benefit request or respond to a USCIS action falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday. In these situations, USCIS will consider a filing...