On March 11, 2016 Andrew H. Gee is speaking at a presentation on immigration issues for international students at the University of Houston. See presentation below. Want to sign up to our newsletter? Click here to download: http://www.gzimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/20160311-UH-Intl-Students.pptx
Category Archives: Non-Immigrant-Visa-NIV
Backlog Expected as Department of State Recovers from System Failure
After more than a week of technical problems preventing issuance of visas, the Department of State (DOS) has announced that it is now mostly back online. The updated list of consulates that have been reconnected is available from the DOS website
Change in worksite location considered a substantial change of H-1B terms
In a recent decision the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS’) Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) ruled against an employer for not filing an amendment petition when it relocated the H-1B beneficiary to a different worksite. The Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC., is a precedent decision where the AAO held that the employer should have filed […]
CBP Officials advise L visa holders to carry approvals
At a recent AILA CBP Liaison meeting, CBP officials reminded both L-1’s and L-2’s to carry copies of their approvals to ensure that they are granted status for the proper validity period, as well as to avoid delays when entering the U.S. This is consistent with the notation on an L1’s visa: Must present approved […]
Qualifying H4 Dependents Can Apply for a Work Permit (EAD) Starting May 26, 2015
Earlier today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued the following release : U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced today that, effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful […]
2015 Rice International Students Presentation
February 4, 2015 Andrew H. Gee and Tania Glowinski Gonzalez present immigration issues for international students at Rice University. See presentation below.
“U.K. Cautions” could wreak havoc with the US visa process
Transgressions that occur in the United Kingdom are complicated due to the existence of a “caution” process where the “caution” serves as a formal notice, issued by a police officer, for minor offenses as an alternative to costly and time-consuming prosecution. A “caution” is not considered a conviction by U.K. law nor were they considered […]
New Visa Reciprocity Agreement Between the U.S. and China – Longer Visa Validity for Business Visitors, Tourists, and Students
On November 10, the State Department announced that the U.S. and China were concluding a reciprocal visa validity arrangement that would strengthen the ever-broadening economic and people-to-people ties between the two countries by increasing the validity of short-term tourist and business visas, and student and exchange visitor visas issued to each other’s citizens. Chinese applicants […]
News Update: DOS Makes Significant Progress After Software Crash Slows Visa Issuance
Last week the Department of State (DOS) issued an updated FAQ on the status of their visa issuing system outage stating that they had “made significant progress and issued most of the worldwide backlog of nonimmigrant visa cases.” DOS Makes Significant Progress After Software Crash Slows Visa Issuance Last week the Department of State (DOS) […]
News Update: Emergent Alert
We have just received information from the American Immigration Lawyers Association that the Consular Consolidated Database, the Department of State system for issuing visas, has encountered significant performance issues, including outages since Saturday, July 19. This computer system is the backbone of the consular processing procedures as it approves, records and prints the visas. Because […]