On March 11, 2016 the USCIS published the rules of a new, expanded STEM Extension OPT program. The new STEM Extension will go into effect Tuesday, May 10, 2016. Among other changes, the program extends the length of the STEM Extension from 17 months to 24 months. STEM OPT Extensions are available to students completing […]
H1-b VISA APPLICATION PERIOD APPROACHING
As of April 1, 2016, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY2017). Upon approval petitions for FY2017 will allow foreign nationals to work for petitioning employers beginning October 1, 2016. USCIS will continue to accept new H-1B petitions after April 1, 2016, until the H-1B cap has […]
IRS Power to Revoke Passports Signed Into Law
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 IRS Power To Revoke Passports Signed Into Law By Immigration Prof Here is a crossover tax and immigration issue. Robert Wood in Forbes reports that President Obama has signed a new passport provision into law. A new section 7345 to the Internal Revenue Code is part of H.R. 22 – Fixing America’s Surface Transportation […]
2017 Diversity Visa Lottery Program Opens October 1, 2015
The 2017Diversity Visa (Lottery) Program (DV-2016) will open at noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Thursday, October 1, 2015, and will close at noon, Eastern Standard Time (EST), Tuesday, November 3, 2015. Applicants must submit entries electronically during this registration period using the electronic DV entry form (E-DV) at dvlottery.state.gov. Paper entries will not be accepted. […]
Solutions for Inadmissibility to Canada
Inadmissibility to Canada can arise from several previous criminal convictions, and the circumstances of inadmissibility (for example, the subject is a professional athlete) do not change the rules. Criminal inadmissibility can arise from violent and non-violent offenses alike, such as underage drinking, driving without insurance, and writing a bad check.. If you or someone you […]
DAPA Eligible Immigrants Will Not Be Deported and Other Things About the GOP Immigration Lawsuit
Since Judge Hanen issued his controversial midnight order blocking President Obama’s executive actions on immigration there has been a lot of speculation about what will happen next. Will the Court of Appeals quickly reverse the ruling? How long will it take for the case to wind its way through the appellate courts? Will the U.S. Supreme Court […]
Overcoming Criminal Inadmissibility to Canada: The Temporary Residency Permit
If you wish to work in or even briefly visit Canada, any prior criminal conviction can pose a barrier to entering the country. In the past, many tourists from the United States have learned the hard way that even a single minor conviction from many years ago can render them ‘inadmissible’ to Canada on the […]
New Statistics on the Trends of U.S. Permanent Residents
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Immigration Statistics, over 990,000 foreign nationals were granted U.S. permanent residence (“green cards”) in 2013. These statistics provide helpful insight into the countries from which the majority of immigrants are coming, the categories they are using to apply, and the states in which they […]
Are Nurses Eligible for an H1-b Visa?
A frequent question that we receive at ImmigrationLogic.com is whether or not you can obtain an H1b Specialty Occupation visa for employment as a Registered Nurse [RN]. For the past several years, the answer to that has been that it is doubtful due to the fact that the H1b visa is restricted to “specialty occupation […]
Denied admission to Canada?
One of the areas of practice for Newman & Associates PC is assisting an individual who has been denied admission to Canada. In recent years, the Canadian Immigration authorities have begun to enforce a strict no admission policy to US citizens who have a criminal record. This can be a misdemeanor or a felony conviction. […]