Establishing a qualifying relationship to meet L-1 visa requirements

Companies looking to transfer employees to the US from abroad can avail themselves of the L-1 intracompany transferees (L visa), which necessitates a qualifying relationship between the foreign company and the US entity, meeting the requirement for an L-1 visa There are two classifications of L-1 visas: The L-1A visa caters to intracompany transferees occupying...

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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...

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When it comes to immigration cases, proving a bona-fide marriage can be critical. In fact, U.S. Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires evidence that the marriage is not fraudulent and entered into for the sole for the purpose of evading U.S. immigration laws. USCIS takes marriage fraud very seriously and has implemented various measures to...

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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...

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On August 19, 2022, the Department of Labor stated it would no longer recognize the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges (ACICS) as an accrediting agency.  This announcement affects English language study programs and F-1 students applying for STEM OPT extensions. SEVP will notify students if their school is affected by the above and strongly encourage...

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USCIS has announced that it will not require applicants to file their medical report within 60 days of the civil surgeon signing the I-693.  This is effective December 9, 2021 and will remain the case until September 30, 2022. Previously, USCIS had required applicants applying for adjustment of status to submit their medical report within...

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Finally, both DOL and USCIS are showing a willingness to relax their requirements in an effort to help Employers timely respond to requests for information during the COVID-19 pandemic. DOL The DOL has announced the following temporary measures to allow Employers to continue to comply with its regulations: Extension for deadlines: DOL has extended the...

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Requests for Further Evidence commonly referred to as RFEs have become commonplace in the Immigration world, particularly for employment-based petitions such as H-1Bs and L-1s. In FY 2018 the number of RFEs skyrocketed and this trend continued into FY 2019. This increase in challenges from USCIS is largely due to various policy issues by USCIS...

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