On Dec. 21, 2023, the US Department of State (DOS) published a proposed rule, “Pilot Program To Resume Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States for Certain Qualified Noncitizens.” It announced what has been long anticipated: a program to allow certain H-1B visa holders to renew their visas while they reside in the United States.Continue Reading H-1B visas for applicants present in the US to be renewed again
Public health experts recommend that companies encourage employees to work from home to stem the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in offices, large meetings, public transit and elsewhere. Remote work policies, coupled with travel bans and government-imposed quarantines, pose unique complications for employers and their employees holding nonimmigrant visa status.
Continue Reading Work from home and travel policy considerations for employees of nonimmigrant visa status during coronavirus outbreak
Special thanks to summer associate Sara Schiavone for her work on this blog post.
Human resource professionals who are managing the immigration processing for Indian nonimmigrant employees should be aware of the increased processing times for the visa application at consulates in India. The extraordinary increase in routine processing for nonimmigrant visas requires significantly more planning to avoid long periods of non-productivity while employees are stranded abroad waiting for a visa appointment.
It was not that long ago that one week was seen as a standard timeframe to receive an interview appointment. However, applicants now experience wait times as long as four months. As of July 2016, current wait times for nonimmigrant visa (NIV) interview appointments other than B (visitor), F (student) and J (exchange visitor) at the following consular posts are:
Continue Reading Long wait times for Indian nonimmigrant visas merit human resources planning
In a follow up to my recent post on H-1B visa petitions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services conducted the random selection process on April 14, 2008 and announced that it will issue receipt notices for selected petitions by June 2, 2008. The notice also indicated that the total processing time would be eight to 10 weeks but