Only A Few H-1B Work Visas Still Available!

Only A Few H-1B Work Visas Still Available!
As of November 20, there are only approximately 1,300 H-1B Work Visas remaining (with additional visas available for Chile & Taiwan). The USCIS is expected to announce soon that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B applications for the fiscal year and any H-1B applications received after that date will be returned. Once the H-1B Visas are exhausted, applicants will have to wait until Oct 1, 2010 to begin working under next year’s H-1B work visas. Apply now before the H-1B visas are gone. New Vaccination Requirements Begins December 14, 2009
Beginning December 14, 2009, doctors designated by the USCIS to provide the required Medical Examination for Immigration residency cases are no longer required to perform medical screenings for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and zoster vaccines. The new I-693 medical examination form edition is dated 10/14/2009 and must be used beginning January 1, 2010.

The USCIS Is Increasing H1B Worksite Visits
The USCIS recently confirmed that it is now conducting H-1B worksite visits in order to prevent fraud. In a recent visit to an H-1B worksite, one USCIS officer reported finding only an empty parking lot. For this reason more than 25,000 onsite administrative visits are expected in the coming months, approximately five times the number of site visits that were conducted last year. USCIS Officers who conduct such inspections are authorized to interview both the employee and employer, inspect the business premises to verify the business qualifications and number of other employees, verify that the H1B employee is actually working in the authorized job position at the required wage, inspect pay-stubs and payroll records for the H-1B employee since the time authorized employment began, and inspect the Dept of Labor access file required to be maintained.

*This column is published for the purposes of providing a general understanding of immigration legal issues, as a public service and is not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Consideration given to any immigration issue is not intended in any way to substitute for individual legal consultation with a licensed attorney. Readers should understand that this column and the foregoing illustrations are subject to different interpretations in each particular immigration case that may arise and no one reading this column should attempt to apply his own particular situation to the principles described herein. Readers with specific legal immigration issues should consult their attorney. If you have an immigration issue and do not know an attorney, you may call your state’s attorney Bar Association

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