L-1 Visas

USCIS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are extending the joint agency pilot program for Canadian citizens seeking L-1 nonimmigrant status under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) through April 30, 2020. Last year,
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USCIS has published a policy memorandum clarifying the requirement that a qualifying organization employ a principal L-1 beneficiary abroad for one continuous year out of the three years before the time of petition filing (“one-year foreign employment requirement”). This clarification is intended to ensure consistent adjudication of L-1 petitions by providing a standard basis for calculating time for the one-year foreign employment requirement.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated policy guidance clarifying that a proxy vote must be irrevocable to establish the requisite control of a company in an L-1 visa petition.

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The new policy memorandum (PM) designates the attached decision of the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) in Matter of G- Inc. as an Adopted Decision. Accordingly, this adopted decision establishes policy guidance that applies to and binds all U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees. USCIS personnel are directed to follow the reasoning in this decision in similar cases.
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Coming to the United States can be notoriously difficult, and the current political climate does not appear to be making it easier anytime soon.  For individuals who are interested in coming to the US for business purposes there are still many options available, and knowing the differences between them is critically important to successfully applying for an employment visa. An employment-based immigration attorney can help.

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O Serviço de Cidadania e Imigração dos Estados Unidos (USCIS) começou o seu Programa de Visita e Verificação Administrativa do Local de Trabalho (ASVVP) em 2009. Pelo programa, essas visitas são conduzidas pelo diretório de Detecção de Fraude e Segurança Nacional (FDNS) do USCIS. O FDNS conduz visitas aos locais de trabalho referentes a solicitações de vistos para trabalhadores religiosos, solicitações de H-1B e solicitações de L-1.

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The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“CIS”) recently promulgated a revised Form I-129S, NONIMMIGRANT PETITION BASED ON BLANKET L PETITION. CIS announced that this document must be used exclusively in applications filed with after August 29th and the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) has confirmed that applicants for Blanket L-1 petition classification at United States consulates abroad must present the new document at interviews scheduled after August 29th, 2016.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began its Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program (ASVVP) in 2009. Under the program, site visits are conducted by the Fraud Detection and National Security directorate (FDNS) of USCIS. FDNS conducts site visits for religious worker petitions, H-1B petitions, and since 2014, L-1 petitions.
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Some time back, the Nachman Phulwani Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C. reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services ("USCIS"), sought to step-up its efforts to find fraud in the H-1B program. This was done by conducting investigations and visiting H-1B petitioner worksites throughout the U.S.
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La Ley de Asignaciones Consolidadas de 2016 (Ley Pública 114-113), promulgada por el presidente Obama el 18 de diciembre de 2015, aumentó las tarifas para ciertos peticionarios H-1B y L-1. Se requiere que estos peticionarios presenten un cargo adicional de $ 4,000 para ciertas peticiones H-1B y $ 4.500 para ciertas peticiones L-1A y L-1B presentadas a partir del 18 de diciembre de 2015. La tasa adicional se mantendrá en vigor hasta el 30 de septiembre del año 2025. El Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) ha instruido a los empleadores a pagar la cuota adicional utilizando un cheque por separado a nombre del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional.
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The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Public Law 114-113), signed into law by President Obama on December 18, 2015, increased the fees for certain H-1B and L-l petitioners. These petitioners are required to submit an additional fee of $4,000 for certain H-l B petitions and $4,500 for certain L-1 A and L-1B petitions submitted on or after December 18, 2015. The additional fee will remain in effect until September 30, 2025 . United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has instructed employers to pay the additional fee using a separate check made payable to the Department of Homeland Security.
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