Pilot Program for Canadian L-1s Applying in Blaine, WA

  Pilot Program for Canadian L-1s Applying in Blaine, WA U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have announced a new pilot program for processing L-1 Canadian NAFTA petitions. This pilot program is limited to the Blaine, WA port of entry (POE) and is currently scheduled to run from […]

USCIS Denying Advance Parole for Travel

USCIS has begun denying advance parole when a person travels during their application’s pendency. The immigration service previously indicated it would not issue such denials when the applicant was otherwise permitted to travel during their adjustment. Unfortunately, the current administration’s new practice is likely to create more inconveniences for frequent travelers. This policy change will […]

Regulation Updates

One of the last acts of the Obama administration will be updating the federal regulations to modernize several employment-based visa classifications. These new rules will go into effect on January 17, 2017. While many of the updates simply codify existing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policies into the regulations, there are significant additions that […]

USCIS Actions

While no one knows what President Elect Trump will do until he ultimately acts, in a recently posted video on his Facebook page he has asked his transition team for executive actions that he can take “to restore our jobs and bring back our jobs…” It is believed he is referring to the H-1B, TN […]

USCIS New Fee Schedule effective December 23rd 2016

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had proposed to increase the filing fees for applications and petitions filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in May of this year. According to DHS, the fee increase is to alleviate their projected annual shortfall of about $550 million that reflects the costs of processing immigration petitions […]

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 […]

News Update: USCIS Announces Expanded Site Visits for the L-1 Classification

On April 24, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced during a stakeholder teleconference that its Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program (“ASVVP”) will be expanding to include L-1 petitions On April 24, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced during a stakeholder teleconference that its Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program (“ASVVP”) […]

News Update: Encountering L Petition Problems

At the request of a number of senators and congressmen, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has reviewed the L intra-company transferee visas… At the request of a number of senators and congressmen, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has reviewed the L intra-company transferee visas issued over the past 10 years and has found […]