| NEWS
January 9, 2012 - February 2012 Visa Bulletin shows EB-2 China/India jump ahead one year to January 1, 2010!
December 9, 2011 - January 2012 Visa Bulletin shows EB-2 China / India jump ahead nearly 9 months to January 1, 2009!
November 30, 2011 - As reported in the New York Times Article, Highly Skilled May Wait Less for Visas, a bill just passed by the House of Representatives, HR 3012, would make major changes to immigrant visa allocation. Currently, family and employment based immigrants are subject to a 7% limit on any one country, such that backlogs occur for Chinese and Indian applicants in the employment categories and long wait times are the norm for Mexican and Philippine applicants in the family categories. If passed by the Senate, which it is expected to do, the bill would phase in the elimination of these per country caps over several years. The winners? Clearly, China, India, Mexico and the Philippines. The losers? It is thought that all the other countries will suffer to some degree by the loss of general numbers to the backlogged countries, since this bill does not increase the overall numbers. Additionally, since there are more family numbers than employment numbers, the employment based "other countries" categories may see the most impact. Overall this is a fair piece of legislation, aimed at equality among all immigrants. The impact, however, will be to illustrate the problems in our caps and to highlight the need for increased immigrant visa numbers. Please note that while the bill has passed the House, it still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by President Obama to become law.
November 10, 2011 - December Visa Bulletin. EB-2 India and China move ahead an additional 4 1/2 months, marking a 12 month forward movement in this category in just three months!
November 1, 2011 - Parrilli Renison has been ranked top in the nation in immigration law, receiving top tier status by U.S. News & World Report Best Lawyers. This First Tier Ranking is held by just 22 firms nationwide, and establishes our firm as a market leader in immigration legal services.
October 6, 2011 - November Visa Bulletin. EB-2 India and China move ahead another 3 1/2 months! This marks a 7 1/2 month forward movement in this category in just two months! This is likely to generate significant applications, and therefore future usage. When this happens the dates may stop moving forward as fast, or could even stop or retrogress (go backwards).
October 3, 2011 - Partner Brent Renison will receive the 2011 Oregon State Bar President's Public Service Award during an Annual Awards luncheon at the Governor Hotel in Portland, Oregon on November 9, 2011. The award is given to attorneys who have made substantial contributions through recent efforts involving pro bono services that benefit the public.
September 9, 2011 - October Visa Bulletin. EB-2 India and China move ahead 3 months marking the start of a new fiscal year and the availability of more numbers. The numbers are too few, however, and stagnant movement or even retrogression cannot be ruled out in the months ahead.
August 10, 2011 - September Visa Bulletin. There is no movement in the EB-2 categories for India and China this coming month, following the rapid advance in July. EB-3 moves ahead 3 weeks and India/China EB-2 remain relatively stagnant. Where is Congress when we need them!?
July 11, 2011 - August Visa Bulletin. Modest movement in employment categories.
June 10, 2011 - July Visa Bulletin - EB-2 India/China moves ahead 5 months! The movement forward to March 8, 2007, due to usage of left-over EB-1 numbers, may continue in August and September if EB-2 usage does not pick up. Watch the visa bulletin in early July for possible good news!
June 8, 2011 - Dare to Dream Mr. President - Brent Renison outlines two ways in which President Obama can help DREAM Act eligible graduates realize their dream as Americans - without Congress, under current law!
June 3, 2011 - New York Times Editorial - This is How a Democracy Works - Things that President Obama Can Do Without Congress.
May 15, 2011 - June Visa Bulletin - EB-2 India will move ahead 3 1/2 months and EB-2 China will move ahead 2 1/2 months, due to the left ofter EB-1 numbers combined with weaker than expected demand. State Department had envisioned higher demand due to "upgrades" from EB-3 to EB-2, but that demand did not materialize in May. Therefore, as long as EB-2 India/China upgrades continue to be less than expected, and usage for those early priority dates is not high, further advances could happen in the coming months leading up to October 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
April 8, 2011 - May Visa Bulletin - EB-2 India will move 7 weeks ahead as a result of unused EB-1 numbers.
April 5, 2011 - Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland is ordered by Department of Labor to pay $4.2 Million for violations of the H-1B regulations.
March 31, 2011 - There may be good news soon for EB-2 India applicants with older priority dates. The American Immigration Lawyers Association has learned from the Chief, Immigrant Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, that there has been a dramatic reduction in the use of EB-1 numbers. He stated:
“[US]CIS says they have seen a decline in filings, and does not expect a change in the number use pattern. Therefore, this decline in EB-1 number use will allow me to begin having those ‘otherwise unused’ numbers drop down and be available for use in the EB-2 category. Based on current indications, that would mean that at least 12,000 additional numbers will be available to the EB-2 category. This situation will allow me to advance the India EB-2 cut-off date for May. The reason being that all ‘otherwise unused’ numbers are provided strictly in priority date order, and the India demand has the largest concentration of early dates.”
According to Mr. Oppenheim, the fall-off in demand for EB-1 numbers began in October 2010.
March 30, 2011 - March 30, 2011 - A federal court in Oregon threw out the K-1 class action lawsuit today, adopting a magistrate judge's finding that the Doctrine of Consular Nonreviewability allows the State Department to charge U.S. citizen petitioners with fraud and not give them any opportunity to respond to the allegations. The court dismissed all remaining claims today, and the plaintiffs have filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
March 15, 2011 - April 2011 Visa Bulletin indicates that continued heavy applicant demand for numbers in the Family First (F1) preference category has required the retrogression of the Worldwide, China-mainland born, and India cut-off date for the month of April. Further retrogressions cannot be ruled out should demand continue at the current levels for some categories and countries.
February 9, 2011 - March 2011 Visa Bulletin
January 15, 2011 - February 2011 Visa Bulletin
December 8, 2010 - January 2011 Visa Bulletin.
December 3, 2010 - Federal Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart filed her Findings and Recommendations in the Tran v. Napolitano K-1 Fiancee Class Action Lawsuit, recommending that the Plaintiffs' Constitutional claims be dismissed under the Doctrine of Consular Nonreviewability, but that Plaintiffs' APA claims and challenge to the use of P6C1 Markers be allowed to go forward against the State Department and USCIS.
November 15, 2010 - December Visa Bulletin Issued. Next month's Bulletin shows very modest movement in employment based immigration categories, with the exception of India, whose natives suffer from no movement whatsoever this month.
November 8, 2010 - Government files reply in support of their motion to dismiss the K-1 class action lawsuit. The next hearing is November 18, 2010 in Portland federal court.
October 27, 2010 - Brent Renison is certified as a Global Mobility Specialist by Worldwide ERC, following completion of training in Applied International Assignment Policy Development, Policy Alternatives, Strategies and Tactics for Global Workforce Mobility, and Intercultural Challenges of Doing Business Globally.
October 22, 2010 - Parrilli Renison files a Response to the government's Motion to Dismiss the K-1 Class Action Lawsuit challenging unlawful USCIS and State Department practices.
October 8, 2010 - November Visa Bulletin.
September 9, 2010 - October Visa Bulletin is issued. Modest gains, although Mexico EB-3 moves from unavailable to available in October for those with April 2001 priority dates.
August 11, 2010 - September Visa Bulletin is issued. Dates for 2A (spouses and children of LPR) move forward to 2010!
July 13, 2010 - August Visa Bulletin is issued. Dates move forward in many areas.
June 24, 2010 - Parrilli Renison files class action lawsuit challenging K-1 fiance(e) consular return practices of U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security. Tran v. Napolitano, 3:10-CV-724-ST (D. Or. 2010).
June 11, 2010 - Parrilli Renison is ranked once again as a leading immigration firm in Chambers and Partners, a London based international rating agency for the legal profession.
June 10, 2010 - July Visa Bulletin is out, and it contains notes about visa retrogression and availability.
June 2, 2010 - Brent Renison has been selected to receive the Ninth Annual Daniel Levy Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Immigration Law. This national award recognizes enthusiastic advocacy on behalf of immigrant clients, deep scholarship in immigration law, and an expansive vision of justice. Renison is receiving the award on June 30, 2010 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, D.C. for his five years of advocacy work to end the "Widow Penalty."
May 12, 2010 - June 2010 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 dates move forward another three months. Continuing last month's trend, India dates show no movement whatsoever. China EB-2 moves two months, but Mexico EB-3 remains unavailable for all priority dates, which will persist until October 1, 2010 when the new fiscal year begins.
April 12, 2010 - May 2010 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 dates move forward almost three months. India dates, however, are relatively stagnant. EB-2 India shows no movement and EB-3 India moves forward only three weeks.
March 31, 2010 - Supreme Court declares that criminal defendants have a right to know whether pleading guilty to a criminal offense will result in their deportation. Padilla v. Kentucky, "We granted certiorari to decide whether, as a matter of federal law, Padilla’s counsel had an obligation to advise him that the offense to which he was pleading guilty would result in his removal from this country. We agree with Padilla that constitutionally competent counsel would have advised him that his conviction for drug distribution made him subject to automatic deportation. Whether he is entitled to relief depends on whether he has been prejudiced, a matter that we do not address."
March 15, 2010 - April Visa Bulletin - More modest movement in employment categories.
February 8, 2010 - March Visa Bulletin - modest movement.
January 11, 2010 - February Visa Bulletin - little movement in EB categories, but India dates stand still.
December 11, 2009 - January Visa Bulletin provides some forecasting not seen in previous visa bulletins.
November 11, 2009 - December Visa Bulletin Shows Virtually No Movement in Employment Categories. Employers and Employees must contact Congress to press for immigration reform and more immigrant numbers! See our Home Page for a link to an online email Congress function!
October 21, 2009 - Congress ends the "widow penalty" after five years of advocacy from Parrilli Renison partner Brent Renison, as reported in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times
October 13, 2009 - Smoke and Mirrors: Sponsoring Organizations Vanish from Clarification to Performing Arts Organizations, Article by Brent Renison. The article explains omissions from the USCIS Fact Sheet, issued October 7, 2009, Clarifying Requirements for Agents Filing as Petitioners for the O and P Visa Classification.
October 12, 2009 - November 2009 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 stays at June 1, 2002, while EB-3 China retrogresses to Feb. 22, 2002 and EB-3 India moves forward one week to April 22, 2001. EB-2 remains current, except for China's advance one week to April 1, 2005; India remains unchanged at Jan. 22, 2005.
October 7, 2009 - USCIS Takes Narrow View on O and P Petitions.
September 16, 2009 - State Department Issues October 2009 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 is once again available, but only for those with priority dates of June 1, 2002 or before.
September 4, 2009 - Partner Brent Renison has been selected for inclusion in "The Best Lawyers in America" in the specialty of immigration law. Parrilli Renison is ranked #1 in Oregon by Best Lawyers, and is Top Ranked (Band 1) by Chambers and Partners! We know immigration law!
August 15, 2009 - State Department Issues September 2009 Visa Bulletin. EB-2 India advances!
July 16, 2009 - State Department Issues August 2009 Visa Bulletin.
June 29, 2009 - USCIS Announces Resumption of I-140 Premium Processing for Certain Categories.
June 15, 2009 - State Department Issues July 2009 Visa Bulletin
June 12, 2009 - Parrilli Renison Partners Brent Renison and Tifani Parrilli receive Top Ranking by London-Based Chambers and Partners.
May 14, 2009 - This recent article by Margaret Stock outlines the options for becoming a U.S. citizen through U.S. Military enlistment, for certain people who are on temporary nonimmigrant work visas.
May 11, 2009 - H-1B Cap Update - 45,000 Regular Cap, and 20,000 Master's Cap petitions received. USCIS is still accepting H-1B petitions for an October 1, 2009 start date.
May 8, 2009 - State Department Visa Bulletin for June 2009 shows EB-2 India Retrogression
April 20, 2009 - 44,000 H-1B petitions received as of today.
April 17, 2009 - H-1B Cap Update - 43,000 Regular Cap received, and 20,000 Master's Cap petitions received. This means that all of the 20,000 Master's numbers are gone, but U.S. Master's degree holders can continue to use the Regular Cap numbers, which are capped at 58,200 (65,000 minus 6,800 reserved for Chile/Singapore H-1B1 category). So, there are still about 15,000 H-1B numbers still available! There is still time to file an H-1B petition!
April 15, 2009 - Crimes and Deportation - Practice Advisory from Oregon Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
April 9, 2009 - Approximately 20,000 H-1B numbers still available! See Update from USCIS on H-1B numbers.
April 8, 2009 - State Department Issues May 2009 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 is Unavailable, probably until at least October 2009, when the new fiscal year begins.
April 8, 2009 - H-1B Cap Not Met! USCIS Continues to Accept H-1B petitions! Please visit our H-1B Cap page for a recent FAQ on the numbers of petitions filed.
March 31, 2009 - H-1B Cap Gap Guidance Updated - Link to last year's FAQ
March 9, 2009 - April 2009 Visa Bulletin Issued by State Department. The Bulletin shows a retrogression of more than two years in the Employment Based Third (EB-3) category.
February 15, 2009 - Army Will Offer Citizenship to Nonimmigrants Who Enlist
February 13, 2009 - State Department Issues March Visa Bulletin
January 13, 2009 - State Department Issues February 2009 Visa Bulletin
December 11, 2008 - State Department Issues January 2009 Visa Bulletin.
December 5, 2008 - Reminder - Important Visa Waiver Program Changes coming in January 2009.
November 23, 2008 - Brent Renison is interviewed Sunday, November 23, 2008 on CBS News 60 Minutes about the "Widow Penalty."
November 10, 2008 - State Department Issues December 2008 Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin shows no forward movement in the employment-based categories. Due to the fact that USCIS has many pending cases with priority dates before those published, slow forward movement, and retrogression (backward movement) of dates is possible.
November 4, 2008 - Brent Renison selected as a Super Lawyer by Law & Politics for the third straight year.
October 17, 2008 - President Bush Announces Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea have met the Visa Waiver Program Criteria and the citizens of those countries will soon be able to enter the U.S. without a visa for business or pleasure.
October 15, 2008 - DHS to Issue Final Rule Allowing Three (3) Year TN status. In a final rule to be published and become effective October 16, 2008, DHS will now authorize three-year TN status instead of the one year increments previously authorized. This does not limit the total number of years in TN, which is not set by statute or regulation. The final rule declined to extend "dual intent" to the TN category, so TN entrants must still show that they have a residence abroad that they do not intend to abandon.
October 15, 2008 - State Department Issues November 2008 Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin indicates that the level of demand being received from Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Offices indicates that they have a significant amount of cases with priority dates that are earlier than the established cut-offs. According to the Bulletin, this is likely to result in slow forward movement of the cut-off dates for most Employment categories during the next few months. Sudden changes in the CIS demand patterns could result in fluctuations in the monthly cut-off dates, and retrogressions cannot be ruled during FY-2009.
September 29, 2008 - The DV-2010 Lottery online entry begins at Noon EDT on October 2, 2008, and ends at Noon EST on December 1, 2008. The State Department Website is the only official Lottery entry site.
September 17, 2008 - Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upholds Arizona Employer Sanctions Law Against Facial Challenge. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld an Arizona law that allows superior courts in Arizona to suspend or revoke business licenses of employers who knowingly or intentionally hire unauthorized aliens. The Court only upheld a facial challenge to the statute, as the law has not yet been used to sanction any employer. The Court left open the opportunity for employers to bring another challenge if and when sanctions were brought against an employer.
September 11, 2008 - State Department Issues October 2008 Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin shows EB-2 China stays the same as June 2008, and EB-2 India retrogresses one year. Also, compared with June 2008 dates, the EB-3 category retrogresses in all categories. Backward movement in these categories is bad for American businesses, and painful for those employees who have waited so long in line for a visa number.
August 13, 2008 - State Department Issues September 2008 Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin states that, contrary to earlier statements, the October EB-3 dates may not revert to the June 2008 dates due to heavy demand. This could result in longer waits for EB-3 immigrants.
August 13, 2008 - USCIS Issues Memorandum on 245(k) Adjustment Provisions. A special provision for Employment-Based Immigrants, 245(k) allows Adjustment of Status to be approved despite a violation of status or unlawful employment period of up to 180 days. This new Memorandum clarifies what periods will be counted toward the 180 days, including a directive that no periods prior to the alien's last lawful admission be counted toward the 180 days. Advance Parole entries are not deemed to be "lawful admissions" under this Memorandum.
July 24, 2008 - USCIS Announces New Vaccination Requirements ant TB procedures
July 14, 2008 - State Department releases August 2008 Visa Bulletin. EB-2 India/China jumps ahead more than two years to June 2006, while EB-3 remains unavailable for all categories.
June 24, 2008 - Department of Labor Releases Selected PERM Statistics. This brief overview of DOL labor certification (PERM) filings shows number of filings, number of audited cases, and final review (approved) cases. It also shows appeals, and breaks down cases by geographic location and occupation.
June 20, 2008 - U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents can contribute to political campaigns.
June 13, 2008 - Press Release on Top Chambers Ranking
June 13, 2008 - Chambers and Partners Gives Top Ranking to Parrilli Renison for Immigration Law. Chambers and Partners, based in the United Kingdom, lists the top lawyers in 175 countries, providing independent rankings and editorial commentary. Chambers gives us the top band (Band 1), and says, "Brent Renison of Parrilli Renison is recommended for his immigration practice. Market sources were enthralled by his level of customer service, commenting that “he’ll drop anything whenever we need him,” and adding that he “goes above and beyond what we’ve seen from other practicing advocates.” He regularly undertakes immigration work for clients such as Nike, Currie & Brown and the nonprofit Portland Institute for Contemporary Art."
June 11, 2008 - USCIS to allow Premium for I-140 petitions for H-1B holders close to the six year limit. In a press release, USCIS has announced that as of June 16, 2008, it will accept Premium Processing requests for I-140 petitions where the beneficiary is within 60 days of the six year limit on H-1B status, and where no other extension provision applies. This will allow those H-1B visa holders a chance to extend status for three years beyond the six year limit, following approval of the I-140 petition, or where the priority date is current, apply for adjustment of status.
June 10, 2008 - State Department issues July 2008 Visa Bulletin. As predicted in the last Visa Bulletin, the EB-3 category is UNAVAILABLE for the remainder of the Fiscal Year, until October 2008. There were also no gains in the EB-2 category for China and India. Additionally, the Bulletin notes that the October dates will likely reflect the same priority dates as June, so movement will only be possible in November of this year.
May 12, 2008 - State Department issues June 2008 Visa Bulletin. Demand for numbers, primarily by Citizenship and Immigration Services Offices for adjustment of status cases, is expected to bring the Employment Third preference category very close to the annual numerical limit in June. As a result, this category is likely to experience retrogressions or visa unavailability beginning in July. Such action would only be temporary, however, and a complete recovery of the cut-off dates would occur for October, the first month of the new fiscal year.
May 5, 2008 - USCIS proposes to increase TN status under NAFTA for Canadians and Mexicans to three (3) years, up from the current one (1) year. See the USCIS TN Update on the proposed rule. The increased TN validity period would not be available until the rule becomes final.
April 28, 2008 - OPT Cap Gap Policy Guidance Issued. The new policy guidance explains what actions an F-1 student who is the beneficiary of special automatic F-1 and OPT extension provisions needs to take in order to ensure eligibility. Many details on the process are provided in this 30 page guidance document.
April 18, 2008 - USCIS provides updated guidance on F-1 OPT Cap Gap regulations for those selected in H-1B lottery. It provides for an F-1 applicant for H-1B classification to request a change of status after filing by sending an email to a specially designated email address. This should clear up the issue of not having checked the "change of status" box at the time of filing.
April 14, 2008 - USCIS Conducts Random H-1B Lottery, Premium Processing Begins Today. In a press release, USCIS explains the completion of the lottery process, and the timing of various processes. First, USCIS makes it clear that Premium Processing begins today, so that petitioners who utilized this program can now begin the 15 day adjudication clock. Second, USCIS indicates that those who are selected in the lottery (other than Premium cases) should receive a receipt notice by June 2, 2008. Third, USCIS will retain some cases, instead of rejecting them, in a "wait list" that will be notified separately in the next six to eight weeks.
April 11, 2008 - State Department issues May 2008 Visa Bulletin. Many categories move forward rapidly in May, but may be slowed or stopped toward the end of the Fiscal Year (ending September 30, 2008).
April 10, 2008 - USCIS issues preliminary H-1B count, following the announcement that the cap had been reached in the first filing window. The preliminary numbers show over 163,000 filed, of which over 31,200 were filed for the U.S. Master's category which is capped at 20,000. The general cap is 58,200 (65,000 minus Chile and Singapore numbers). If our math is correct, that seems like a 64% chance of receiving a U.S. Master's number, and a 41% chance of receiving a regular H-1B number, since 20,000 numbers will be taken out of the lottery under the U.S. Master's cap, leaving the second lottery to be conducted with 143,000 petitions. Please note that after the U.S. Master's lottery is held, those U.S. Master's degree holders who are not selected will be re-entered in the general pool and have a second chance.
April 10, 2008 -New FAQ on the OPT extension regulations. New I-765 Form to be used.
April 8, 2008 - Update on OPT Cap Gap Regulation - the following was transmitted to the members of the American Immigration Lawyers Association today: F-1 OPT Interim Final Rule and Gap in the "Cap Gap Bridge", AILA InfoNet Doc. No. 08040831 (posted Apr. 8, 2008). "Members have observed in the interim final regulation revising and extending F-1 Optional Practical Training that the provision of the regulation allowing for a "bridge" for F-1 students who are picked in the H-1B lottery requires the petitioner to have marked the petition "change of status." Of course, many petitioners did not mark petitions "change of status" because of the very "cap gap" the interim final rule intended to close. Though the regulation has been published by ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], AILA Liaison has contacted USCIS for guidance going forward, and USCIS is looking for a solution. Watch InfoNet for further information." We at Parrilli Renison are hopeful that USCIS will institute a process for all eligible F-1 students on OPT to receive an extension of OPT to October 1, 2008, regardless of whether their petition was marked "change of status" or not. We will post further information as we receive it from the agency or from AILA.
April 8, 2008 - USCIS Announces H-1B Cap Reached for FY2009. This announcement makes it clear that both the U.S. Master's cap of 20,000 and the regular 65,000 cap (reduced to 58,200 due to Chilean and Singaporean number deductions) were reached in the first five-day filing window of April 1, 2008 to April 7, 2008. A random lottery will be conducted, once all petitions have been receipted, for the Master's numbers, then those Master's numbers not selected will be put in the pool of regular numbers for the second, general lottery for H-1B numbers. If not selected, an H-1B beneficiary will be required to wait until April 1, 2009 to apply for a work permit to begin October 1, 2009. The H-1B cap must be increased to meet the needs of the economy for highly trained international talent.
April 4, 2008 - DHS Announces Extension of OPT work authorization and status for F-1 students who applied for an H-1B to start October 1, but questions remain, and DHS implements special OPT program for STEM degree holders. DHS has issued a Press Release on the 17 Month Extension of Optional Practical Training (OPT) interim final rule. It extends the period of OPT from 12 to 29 months, but only for F-1 students who are currently in the 12 month OPT period, have completed a STEM Designated Degree (Science, Engineering, Technology, or Mathematics) from a U.S. SEVIS college or university, and further be working for a U.S. employer who has enrolled in the USCIS E-verify program. This proposal is a thinly veiled attempt to force more employers to register in a controversial program that is fundamentally flawed. USCIS has issued a FAQ on the new OPT rules today in addition to the press release. The FAQ explains in more detail the process, and what constitutes a STEM degree. It appears the rule also allows for an F-1 student who applied for Change of Status to H-1B who is accepted in the lottery to receive extension of status and work authorization to October 1, 2008, but because the rule was issued after all the H-1B petitions were filed, it seems difficult to imagine how employers and employees will benefit, unless a process to change the requested action on the petition is put in place - to allow change of status to be requested AFTER filing. We hope USCIS will implement such a policy, because the rule was issued after most filings had occurred. We will provide more updates when available.
April 2, 2008 - USCIS has revised its estimate of time for processing of a naturalization application - downward! USCIS now estimates it will be between 13-15 months to process an application. This reflects a commitment by USCIS to reduce the naturalization backlog. Good work USCIS!
April 1, 2008 - This is no April Fools! The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) is responsible for overseeing F-1 student programs, and yesterday it submitted an Interim Final Rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget with the title "Extending Period for Optional Practical Training for 17 Months for Qualified F-1 Students." This is promising news for those who are working pursuant to OPT post-graduation training work authorization, and whose work authorization will expire before October 1, 2008, the first date available for an H-1B visa. For example, if an F-1 foreign student has OPT from May 31, 2007 to May 31, 2008, he or she will have a gap in work authorization between June and September, before an H-1B visa can be approved. If the ICE rule is approved by the White House, it would allow this F-1 student an additional 5 months of OPT to bridge the gap. In this scenario, she would be eligible to work until October 31, 2008 (enough time for an H-1B to kick in). This is welcome news for F-1 students across the United States!
March 28, 2008 - National Public Radio show This American Life with Ira Glass will interview Brent Renison about the Widow Penalty beginning Friday. For times and radio stations airing This American Life near you, visit NPR's station locator.
March 17, 2008 - Brent Renison Wins Motion to Dismiss Class Action Lawsuit. In a ruling today, Federal Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles District Court rules in favor of plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit to end the "widow penalty" in immigration law.
March 14, 2008 - USCIS Director issues update on naturalization processing times. He now estimates processing time will be 14-16 months from application.
March 14, 2008 - State Department Issues April 2008 Visa Bulletin. The EB-2 India dates are once again available, and EB-3 dates move ahead considerably.
March 13, 2008 - Washington Post - USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez announces resignation.
February 22, 2008 - Dept. of Justice Announces higher fines for I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form violations
February 15, 2008 - Enforcement-Only vs. Earned Legalization - America's immigration struggle requires a comprehensive solution - Brainstorm Northwest Magazine, February 2008 by Brent Renison
February 12, 2008 - State Department issues March 2008 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 dates move forward drastically to January 1, 2005.
February 7, 2008 - Amy Winehouse, singer, denied visa to attend the Grammys. Although Winehouse is undoubtedly eligible for an O-1 visa for extraordinary ability, she probably faces a number of grounds of inadmissibility based on alleged drug use. Waivers exist for non-immigrants, and she would probably qualify.
February 7, 2008 - Newly released USCIS Memorandum dated February 4, 2008 announces that security check delays of 180 days or more will no longer result in an adjustment of status applicant remaining pending, and will instead result in an approval, subject to later rescission of the status if derogative evidence is uncovered later. This is welcome news for adjustment of status applicants who have faced years of delay due to background checks.
February 6, 2008 - Changes to the H-2A program, announced by USCIS, will make it somewhat easier for agricultural employers to use the temporary agricultural worker program. Our firm believes, however, that the program is overly restrictive, especially for small growers, and requires change through Congressional action.
February 5, 2008 - The Wall Street Journal - Editorial - Immigration Misfire. Candidates who opposed reasonable comprehensive immigration reform lost big with Republican voters. The results of the Super Tuesday Caucuses and Primaries show that anti-immigrant candidates will continue to lose support from the American public.
January 30, 2008 - New Passport Fees effective February 1
January 29, 2008 - Brent Renison appeared on national television for Univision's Aqui y Ahora investigative news program on the Widow Penalty. To learn more about the widow penalty, visit the website of Surviving Spouses Against Deportation
January 11, 2008 - New Passport Card from the State Department - applications will be accepted on February 1, 2008. This card will not be valid for air travel, but may be a more cost effective travel document for people traveling by land or sea to contiguous countries such as Mexico or Canada.
January 9, 2008 - State Department issues February 2008 Visa Bulletin. The Bulletin notes that, despite two retrogressions of the India EB-2 date, demand for these numbers has remained high, and as a result the category will be unavailable. This will likely continue until the new Fiscal Year comes in October. Only the EB-3 (other than China/India) moves forward modestly two weeks.
January 3, 2008 - Today’s announcement by Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the second half of Fiscal Year 2008 (FY2008) demonstrates once again how Congress’ failure to pass fair and reasonable immigration policy harms the growing needs of an expanding U.S. economy
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