Serotte Reich, LLP – Immigration Law

The U.S. Department of Labor, which processes permanent labor certification (PERM) applications for employment-based green card applications, has released statistics on the number of applications processed this year. According to the DOL, nearly 19% of the 17,700 PERM applications submitted this year were denied. The DOL is also currently auditing 26% of the PERM applications […]Read More >

The H-1B visa program enables individuals to obtain temporary employment authorization in the U.S. to work in a “specialty occupation.” A specialty occupation is one that requires a bachelor’s degree in a specialty field and may include engineering, architectural, and accounting positions. While one of the most popular means of obtaining employment authorization in the […]Read More >

Beginning in 1989, the U.S. government began issuing Permanent Resident Cards (Form I-551) with a 10-year validity period. Although U.S. permanent residence status is not affected by the expiration of a 10-year green card, individuals need to file for a replacement card to have evidence of their immigration status for employment and travel purposes. Individuals […]Read More >

According to recent reports, USCIS is not using the receipt number listed on the I-797 receipt notice for Form I-751 (Petition to Remove the Conditions of Residence) as the basis for tracking the status of the petition. Instead, USCIS is tracking I-751 petitions based on the receipt numbers listed on the subsequently issued biometric notices. […]Read More >

Despite the fact that on November 29, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 389-15 in favor of ending per-country numerical limits (caps) on employment-based visas and the Senate was expected to take action also, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has placed a hold on the bill. Sen. Grassley said that he has “concerns about the […]Read More >