July 20, 2011

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) previously gave agency officers the flexibility to determine individual response times for requests for evidence (RFEs) tailored to the circumstances of each case... [read more]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) submitted for Office of Management and Budget review the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to participate in the Basic Pilot Employment Eligibility Program. ... [read more]

The Department of State (DOS) has determined the worldwide employment-based preference numerical limit for fiscal year (FY) 2011: 140,000. The per-country limit is fixed at 7 percent of the employment annual limit. ... [read more]

On July 13, 2011, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced an agreement on the issuance of nonimmigrant business, tourist, private, and humanitarian visas to the Russian Federation, and on business and tourist visas to the U.S., as well as short-term official travel visas to both countries. ... [read more]

An investigation by the Department of Labor's (DOL) Wage and Hour Division found Maryland's Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) system in violation of the H-1B temporary foreign worker visa program. ... [read more]

Analysis of H.R. 2164, the Legal Workforce Act. The National Foundation for American Policy has released a policy brief, "We Should Trust, But Not E-Verify: An Analysis of H.R. 2164," which argues that "H.R. 2164, the Legal Workforce Act, would make the American workplace less free, ensnare U.S. workers in government agency errors, expand the size and role of government and is likely to be ineffective in reducing the illegal immigration population in the United States."

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Boosting the economic contribution of employment-based immigration. The Migration Policy Institute has released "Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration" by Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption. ... [read more]