STEM OPT 2016

DHS Extends Student Employment Opportunities

In response to the nearly a thousand comments it received, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amended its regulations governing the Optional Practical Training (OPT) for certain international students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) fields. OPT is an immigration condition in which qualifying international students holding an F-1 visa may obtain temporary employment based on their education in a STEM or STEM-related field.

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180 Day Portability Rule

BCIS’s Latest Memo on AC21’s 180 Day Portability Rule and How it Applies to Concurrent Filings of Forms I-140 and I-485

The uncertainty of being able to hold permanent jobs in today’s unsteady economy has created a lot of anxiety for many non-immigrant workers whose employment based green card process is still pending. Moreover the increasing backlogs at the BCIS to process immigrant petitions have added more fear in minds of these workers. For many of these workers the passage of the American Competitiveness in the Twenty First Century Act of 2000 (AC21) is a blessing.

F-1 Visa Under Scrutiny

F-1 Visas Under Scrutiny

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SEPTEMBER 11^th ATTACKS on U.S. soil, numerous precautions have been taken to ensure the safety and security of the nation. Due to concern over the information that at least one of the 9/11 hijackers entered the U.S. using a F-1 visa and two others changed their status from visitors to students, the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) published a final rule regarding student visa applications. This rule, entitled “Retention and Reporting of Information for F, J, and M Nonimmigrants; Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)”, was implemented on January 1, 2003.

L-1 Visa Under Scrutiny

L-1 Visas Come Under Scrutiny

THE CONTROVERSY ON WHETHER FOREIGN workers are replacing the American Workforce has become a heated debate in today’s declining economy. The American workers feel that their jobs are being taken away by foreign workers who are being paid a substantially low salary, while the employers argue that the decision to hire foreign workers is not based on reducing overheads but is based on skills and abilities of the foreign workers. The BCIS argues that L-1 was not intended for those U.S. employers who are bringing foreign workers to work on projects of another employers.

US VISIT Program

A review of the U.S. VISIT Program that was implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on January 5, 2004

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 highlighted the need to improve the national security of the United States. In response to this need the DHS implemented “The United States Visitor and Immigration Status Indicator Technology Program” (US VISIT) which is designed to improve overall border management through the collection of arrival and departure information on foreign visitors and immigrants who travel through the borders of the United States. The major goal for the implementation of the US VISIT program are to improve the security of US Citizens and visitors, expedite legitimate travel and trade, ensure the integrity of the US Immigration System and safeguard the privacy of all visitors.