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A New Era for Immigration? Future Priorities and Business Immigration in the Post-Trump World

Posted by: Park Evaluations

Written By: Lynn O’Brien, Senior Associate Attorney in the Northern Virginia office of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP.  With Terry Mastronikolas Recently, we had a few chances to assess the situation with Lynn O’Brien at BAL to get a grip on the crisis confronting our industry as USCIS prepared to implement a new rule that would have modified the H-1B cap selection process, amended current lottery procedures, and prioritized wages. That crisis has been averted for now.  Also rocking the world of business immigration were the H-1B strengthening rule and the Department of Labor (DOL) interim final rule to incorporate changes ...

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The Key to Meeting a Work Experience RFE

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Joseph Catrone   From making appearances in RFEs to work verification letters to RFE responses, "progressively responsible work experience" is one of the most popular terms in the realm of H-1B Visa filings. Whatever your level of familiarity with the term is, there’s no doubt that demonstrating a “progressively responsible” trajectory in a candidate's professional work history can significantly increase the odds for meeting RFE challenges. Below is a dive into what exactly comprises "progressive responsibility" and why that distinction is so valuable when positioning a candidate and responding to an RFE.   Work History Vs. Academic Studies Many believe that life’s knowledge is best amassed through ...

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H-1B CAP Season Preview: An Interview with Head Evaluator Howard Borenstein

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By: Joseph Catrone As attorneys and businesses are preparing for the upcoming, annual  H-1B lottery and CAP season, they are also bracing themselves for the months of fast-paced, high-volume environments, knowing there's little room for error, delay, or discrepancy in the process of requesting academic credential evaluations. Fortunately, the team at Park Evaluations is deeply committed and fully equipped to aid in these crucial steps of the H-1B filing process—an attitude reflected first and foremost through the dedication of our head credential evaluator, Howard Borenstein. We asked Howard to share his expertise on academic evaluations, as well as the many insights gained from nearly 20 years in the industry. What can people expect from Park’s Credential Reports and services? HB: Certainly, ...

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Three Ways an Expert Interview can Combat Your RFE Challenge

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner  Additional Reporting By: Kelsi Swenson  [caption id="attachment_1654" align="aligncenter" width="331"] The challenges highlighted here can be tackled by Park's Interview and Virtual Visit Services.[/caption]   Receiving an RFE in the mail challenging anything from specialty occupation, to beneficiary qualifications, to firsthand knowledge, to all three at once is not only frustrating, but it requires a strong and complete response. In recent years, Park interviews and virtual visits have provided a platform for experts, managers, candidates, and lawyers to connect with one another and dive deeper into each case; individualizing and solidifying the expert’s opinion. Supplementing an RFE Response with evidence gathered from ...

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Latest USCIS Announcements Suggest Leniency

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By: Rachel Horner USCIS has recently made several announcements that suggest the possibility of more relaxed H-1B policies in the future, contrary to the organization’s attempts at restrictions under the previous presidential administration.   Extension Eligibility First, it was announced that USCIS will be extending their flexibilities originally posted on March 30, 2020. These conditions have been renewed several times since, meaning that USCIS will potentially continue to uphold these measures for as long as COVID-19 is a pressing issue.   The initial decision made by USCIS was to grant a 60-day extension for applicants responding to agency requests. This ...

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Roundup of Biden’s Immigration Policies

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner President Biden has set the tone for his stance on immigration with a recent press release regarding his plan to transform the U.S. immigration system. The press release is essentially a fact sheet of Biden’s proposed “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021,” and was published online by the White House. It lists several different facets of immigration the Biden Administration looks to reform and the specific ways in which they will do so.   Changes in Priority, Process  For measures regarding employment-based visas, the specific plans for reform are kept under the section “growing the economy” -- an already drastic shift in language from the Trump ...

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Wage Lottery Interim Rule Published

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner USCIS has published an Interim Final Rule that would change the H-1B cap selection process. The new rule, entitled “Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions,” was published on January 8, and will go into effect on March 9.   The previous process for selecting H-1B registrations during the lottery procedure was based on a random, computer-generated program. In the new process, registrations for H-1B cap-subject petitions will be picked in favor of the highest wage level. Specifically, those with an OES wage level of IV would be selected first, followed by levels III, II, and I.    DHS defended its IFR in ...

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A Rundown of the January 2021 Visa Bulletin

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner USCIS recently published January’s Visa Bulletin – the first bulletin for the new year.   Before we get into the cutoff dates, it’s important to note that USCIS has chosen to use the final action cutoff date for this month’s employment-based visas, rather than the date of filing typically used (family-based visas will still use date of filing). The dates for this month remained largely the same for every country, except for India and China, which saw minor advancements. The maximum advancement was the EB-1 for China and India, which saw a 5-month advancement.  Final Action Dates  EB-1  China and India: September 1 2019 (5 months)  Worldwide: Remains ...

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Trump Administration Extends Visa Ban and Lifts Ban on Health Insurance Requirement 

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner Now in its very last days, the Trump Administration has delivered a double blow to the immigration industry. The original proclamations issued by the Trump Administration to ban most immigrant entry in April and June 2020 (which were set to expire January 7th) have been extended to March 31, 2021.   The first proclamation, enacted in April 2020, suspended a majority of immigrants (specifically green-card holders) from entering the country. Following closely in its footsteps, Trump announced another proclamation last June, in which the Trump Administration specifically halted the entry of those holding H-1B, L-1, ...

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Ambiguous Language: USCIS Loses Appeal against Tech Company

Posted by: Park Evaluations

By: Rachel Horner Innova Solutions Inc. recently went to court against USCIS for the rejection of an H-1B visa, specifically for a Computer Programmer position. While rejections are not out of the norm, the argument behind the refusal and what transpired made this court case particularly interesting.  Innova originally petitioned for an H-1B petition for an individual with a bachelor’s degree. They used the OOH handbook to make the call that the candidate’s education contributed to their specialized knowledge, as OOH states that a bachelor’s degree or higher is typically the minimum requirement for entry into said position.   However, USCIS denied the visa because they believed that since

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