Serotte Reich, LLP – Immigration Law

For the first time, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a standardized form for requesting waivers of the fees charged for immigration benefit processing. Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, became available for use on November 23, 2010, the same day USCIS’s latest fee schedule took effect. USCIS said it heard concerns expressed […]Read More >

H-1B filings may increase as the 65,000 numerical limit (cap) approaches. The Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) recommends filing petitions now. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reports that as of December 17, 2010, 53,900 cap-eligible petitions have been approved or were pending. USCIS has also receipted 19,700 H-1B petitions for individuals with advanced […]Read More >

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a new version of the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (Form I-129) to include the new fee increases. USCIS will accept previous versions of the form until December 22, 2010. Beginning on December 23, 2010, USCIS will only accept the revised form and will reject previous versions. […]Read More >

The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is assessing J&R Baker Farms LLC of Ellenton, Georgia, $1,311,644 in back wages owed to 244 workers and $136,500 in fines for violating provisions of the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program. WHD found that the vegetable farm allegedly failed to provide at least 75 percent of […]Read More >

On October 5, 2010, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) issued a proposed rule governing the certification of the employment of nonimmigrant workers in temporary or seasonal non-agricultural employment and the enforcement of related obligations of employers. The proposed rule provided a comment period through November 4, 2010. The agency extended the […]Read More >