Category: employment

USCIS to Conduct In-Person Interviews for Employment Based Green Card Applications and Refugee/Asylee Relative Petitions

Stating 10/1/2017, employment based green card Applicants will need to attend in person interviews

On August 28, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will start conducting in-person interviews for permanent resident “green card” applications, effective Oct. 1. USCIS will start interviewing the following two categories of green card applicants:

  • Employment-based adjustment of status applications;
  • Refugee/asylee relative petitions (Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition) for beneficiaries who are in the United States and are petitioning to join a principal asylee/refugee applicant.

USCIS stated the changes is to improve the detection and prevention of immigration fraud pursuant to Executive Order 13780, “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States.” USCIS is planning an incremental expansion of interviews to other benefit types.

The two categories of immigrants were not subject to in-person interviews before. Employees who are applying for adjustment of status based on qualifying jobs are in the United States with valid non-immigrant status.

Read AILA 2017-18 President-Elect, ‘s thoughts on this issue.

Pew Research Center – Foreign Graduates Are Staying in the U.S. for Employment

International students choose to study in the U.S. for many different reasons, and many choose to stay and work after they graduate from U.S. colleges and universities. The Pew Research Center analyzed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data and found that more and more high-skilled foreign graudates find jobs in the United States under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The OPT program provides an important opportunity for foreign graduates to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months or 36 months, depending on their field.  Many students choose to take advantage of the OPT programs to utilize the skills they learned.

The Pew Research Center found that the federal government approved nearly 700,000 OPT applications between 2008 and 2014. Below are the interesting findings:

  • The annual number of OPT approvals rose from 28,497 in 2008 to 136,617 in 2014.
  • Many of those working in the U.S. under the OPT program go on to apply for H-1B visas to stay longer in the U.S.
  • Those with STEM majors had a higher employment rate (73%) than non-STEM majors (57%).
  • Foreign students from India and China accounted for more than half (57%) of all those who were approved for OPT.

To read the full report by Neil Ruiz: click here.

你现在抽到了H-1B签证，如何获得工作绿卡

今年10月1号就可以拿到你辛苦多年翘首以盼的H-1B签证。终于可以安心赚钱，报效父母了。但是如何可以长期永久的留在美国呢？毕竟来说，H-1B签证也只有6年期限。答案就是 – 你需要你的雇主为你申请绿卡！

大多数基于就业的请愿都需要美国劳工部 (Deparment of Labor) 的永久劳工证书和永久的全职工作机会。永久性劳动验证计划的运作通常被称为PERM Process。一旦永久劳工证书申请已经由DOL批准，雇主将需要向USCIS申请移民授权。

一般来说， 申请需要三个步骤 1） PERM永久劳工证书短缺证明； 2） I-140移民申请； 3）I-485调整身份或者领事程序申请移民签证。雇主在向劳动局提交永久劳工证书申请前，需要先证明你的岗位的工资应该是多少 (Prevaling wage determination) 。然后大约要三到四个月的时间刊登广告招聘，证明缺乏美国劳动人力 (good faith recruitment effort)。如果这些都成功了 – 表示没有其他人可以胜任你的岗位，你的雇主会提交劳工证书。劳动局通常需要六个月以及更多的时间来审批，然后才能知道结果。

永久劳工证书批准以后，雇主可以为雇员递交I-140移民赞助表格。 I-140表格一般也需要六个月左右处理，但是同时也可以要求加钱申请加速审理。这一步是没有悬念的。除非你在这个起劲啊想要转换工作，或者你被炒鱿鱼了，那你需要找一个有经验的移民律师来分析你的情况。

I-140批准后，申请者需要按照排期表排到以后才能递交I-485调整身份表格。目前的中国排期一般需要两到三年左右。美国国务院每月都更新签证排期看板。也就是说，有H-1B签证的朋友需要尽早进行绿卡申请。在递交I-485调整身份表格之后，一般六个月左右绿卡就会下来了。

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工作就业移民的绿卡有很多种，最常见的是EB-2或者EB-3. 对于在美国读书然后找到工作留下来的留学生来说，这个两种是最常见的。

  • 就业移民：第二优先EB-2。 如果您是拥有高级学位或同等学历的专业的成员，或具有特殊能力的外国人，您可以获得基于就业的第二优先签证。
  1. 在高级学位子类别下，你必须证明你申请的工作需要高级学位，并且拥有这样的学位或同等学历（学士学位以及5年的实地工作经验）。通常，像官方学术记录那样的文件证明你具有高级学位就足够了。
  2. 如果你是一个在科学，艺术或商业方面具有卓越能力的外国人，你也可以申请EB-2。特殊能力文件通常包括，学术成绩，执业专业执照，至少10年的全职工作经验，对成就的认可等。
  3. 最后的一项是，国家利益豁免（NIW）。申请人不需要劳动认证流程，如果您的工作是可以对美国做贡献的。 国家利益豁免申请人通常需要证明特殊能力以及您的就业将大大有益于国家。此外，寻求国家利益豁免的人可以为他或她自己请求，不需要雇主参与。
  • 就业移民：第三优先EB-3。 EB-3类别是为熟练工人，专业人员或其他工人设计的。
  1. 在“Skilled Worker 熟练工人”的子类别中，您必须证明您的工作需要至少2年的培训或工作经验
  2. Unskilled Worker 不熟练工人的子类别，申请人展示执行非熟练劳动力的能力。
  3. 如果您寻求成为专业人士，您必须能够证明您拥有美国学士学位或同等学历，并且学士学位是进入职业的正常要求。经验不能替代学位要求.

USCIS Confirms Lottery Selection Process for 2018 H-1B Petitions

American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA) confirmed on March 27, 2017 that USCIS will be conducting a lottery for Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B petitions. The process for receiving and receipting H-1B cap cases for 2018 will be the same as with prior years. During the period of April 3-7, 2017, if USCIS receives enough petitions to reach the 65,000 statutory H-1B cap and the 20,000 cap for petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption, a lottery will be conducted. As in the past, a random computer selection will be run first the 20,000 master’s cap petitions. Any petitions not selected for the master’s cap will then be included in the random selection process for the 65,000 regular cap.

Good luck to everyone facing the lottery this year.

2017年3月27日 - 移民局确认，2018年度收到和收到H-1B上限案件的过程将与前几年相同，包括随机抽奖。因此，如果在2017年4月3日至7日期间收到足够的请愿书达到65,000个法定H-1B上限，并且收到高等学位提交的20,000个申请人数，则会像过去一样，随机的电脑选择将首先针对20,000的高等学位请愿书。任何未被抽中的高等学位请愿书将被纳入65,000常规上限的随机选择过程中。

USCIS Bought Back Certain H-1B Visa Premium Processing After a Long Halt

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has brought back premium processing for certain CAP exempt petitions.

On April 3, 2017, USCIS halted premium processing of H-1B visa petitions, for up to six months. While H-1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for a Form I-129. Prior to the halt, employers can request premium processing of H-1B petitions to ensure that USCIS will review the petition within 15 days at a cost of $1,225. Most non-premium processing types of H-1B petitions are currently averaging 6 to 8 months processing time. This suspension will apply to all H-1B regular cap and master’s cap petitions filed for the FY18 H-1B.

The only option for H-1B employers is that they may submit requests to expedite an H-1B petition if they meet the Expedite Criteria. The employer must meet one of these concerns concerns as “severe financial loss,” “emergency situation” or “humanitarian reasons.”

USCIS said the halt is necessary to adjudicate long-pending petitions before the high volume of incoming petitions. However, the plan may cause significant impact on the fee-funded USCIS’s revenue.

Final Rule on Parole for International Start-Up Entrepreneurs 国际初创企业家假释最终规则发布，要不要申请？

The final rule is published on January 17, 2017, available online at Federal Register. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encourages foreign entrepreneurs to create and develop start-up entities. This rule provides guidance on the use of advanced parole for international start-up entrepreneurs. If granted, parole would provide an initial stay of up to 30 months (2.5 years), and may be extended to an additional 30 months (2.5 years), the equivalent of 5 years. This rule is effective 180 days from the publication.

DHS retains discretion to grant parole on a case-by-case basis. The applicant must demonstrate that his or hers new start-up entity has significant potential for rapid growth and job creation. The parole applicant must demonstrate: (1) he has formed a new entity in the United States within the 5 years prior to filing of the parole application; (2) the applicant must possess at least 10 percent ownership interest, and has an active and central role in the business operation; and (3) the applicant must show the start-up entity has received investments of capital totaling $250,000 or more.

If parole is granted, the entrepreneur will be authorized for employment. If the parolee seeks an extension, he or she must continue to be an entrepreneur of the start-up entity, and must further validate the entity’s potential for rapid growth and job creation. The applicant can do so by showing additional substantial investments of capital, substantial and rapidly increasing revenue, or it created at least 5 full-time jobs.

美国移民局最终规则于2017年1月17日发布。副本可在联邦登记处在线获取 （Federal Register）。国土安全部（DHS）鼓励外国企业家创建和发展创业实体。该规则为国际初创企业家使用先遣假释提供了指导。如果获得批准，初始停留的假释将长达30个月（2.5年），并可延长至30个月（2.5年），相当于5年。此规则自出版之日起180天内会生效。

DHS保留根据具体情况授予假释的决定权。申请人必须证明他或她的新创办实体有快速增长和创造就业的巨大潜力。假释申请人必须证明：（1）他在提交假释申请之前5年内在美国成立了一个新实体; （2）申请人必须拥有至少10％的所有者权益，并在业务经营中发挥积极和核心作用;和（3）申请人必须证明启动实体已收到总额为250,000美元或以上的资本投资。

如果假释获准，企业家将被授权就业。如果假释者寻求延期，他必须证明他还是继续是创业实体的企业家，并且证明企业实体快速增长和创造就业的潜力。申请人可以通过（1）显示额外的大量资本投资，（2）大量和快速增加的收入，（3）或者创造至少5个全职工作来证明。

我有一些客户会问，为什么要假释不要走其他的道路拿绿卡呢。 原因在于：美国的全球征税政策。如果您符合美国实际居民定义，您就会被纳入全球征税的范围内。假定您在国内有1千万元的房地产出租，每年获得租金100万元。一旦您获得美国绿卡，国内收入就需要报税。这对很多中国的企业家来说都是很重的负担。

如果你有签证问题，想要知道如何申请假释，欢迎向我的事务所咨询。

微商微店会属于非法就业吗？

美国移民法律上来说，“就业”一词通常是指个人提供服务或劳动，并为这些服务支付报酬的关系。如果没有工作授权，接受任何服务的报酬可能导致违反签证状态。

移民上诉委员会认为自雇也是“就业”。因此，经营业务是违反非移民类签证的身份，比如是旅游签证，学生签证等等。另外来说，如果在在美国在外国公司工作，也是不允许的 – 任何在美国完成的工作，即使对于外国公司，即使支付给外国银行账户，仍然在美国被视为“就业”，必须要有授业文件。这样来说的话，在美国境内的微商微店都可能触犯非法就业。

在没有工作授权的情况下，持非移民性签证的人可能可以在美国当志愿者或者被动地投资在美国。临时签证持有人可以管理自己的投资，如股票和物业，甚至可以购买正在经营的业务，只要他/她不提供任何劳动或服务，并且不积极经营业务。但是，每个签证都是为特定目的签发的，而且签证持有人预计将花大部分时间从事签发签证的活动。如果没有工作授权，投资管理，和志愿服务应该仍然是临时签证持有人在美国的经验的外围组成部分。

未经授权的雇佣：1）可能违反了非移民签证身份; 2）可能导致逮捕，并可能从美国递解出境; 3）将导致拒绝延长或改变签证; 4）可能在几年后发现签证申请人犯有签证欺诈行为，从而无法转变绿卡; 5）如果加上在I-9表格上对美国公民身份作假，可以导致永久不可受理公民申请递解出境，没有豁免可用。