News & Events

Effective June 29, 2009, USCIS will accept Premium Processing requests for Form I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, involving EB-1 aliens with Extraordinary Ability, EB-1 Outstanding Professors and Researchers, EB-2 Members of Professions with Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability not seeking a National Interest
Waiver, EB-3 Professionals, EB-3 Skilled Workers, and EB-3 Workers other than Skilled Workers and Professionals.

Premium Processing Service is still not available for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, involving EB-1 Multinational Executives and Managers and EB-2 Members of Professions with Advanced Degrees or Exceptional Ability seeking a National Interest Waiver.

Dinesh Verma was recently named a "Fellow" of the Litigation Counsel of America. Litigation Counsel of America is a trial lawyer honor society that recognizes excellence in the legal profession. Please join our firm in congratulating Dinesh Verma on this professional achievement.

Today, the U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad is open for business, and Indian residents of the state of Andhra Pradesh (and currently only those residents) may now schedule visa appointments in Hyderabad. Visa applicants from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala should continue to apply at the Chennai Consulate. Residents of Andhra Pradesh who have already scheduled prior interview appointments at the Chennai Consulate may proceed for their interview to Chennai as scheduled.

In a February 2009 fact sheet on the Basic Pilot/E-Verify program, the National Immigration Law Center explains why mandatory employer participation will hurt workers, businesses, and the struggling U.S. economy.

A December 2008 Harvard Business School working paper "The Supply Side of Invention: H-1B Visa Reforms and US Ethnic Invention" evaluates the impact of high-skilled immigrants on US technology formation.

On 1/22/09 Visions System Group, Inc. was indicted for conspiracy and fraud in filing H-1B petitions and labor certification applications, as well as mail fraud. United States v. Vision Systems Group, Inc. (S.D. IA, 1/22/09). On 2/12/09 ICE announced the arrest of 11 individuals in six states, for their activities related to the suspected visa and mail fraud by Vision System Group, Inc.

Nankin & Verma PLLC is proud to announce that Mr. Dinesh C. Verma, Member of the Firm has been listed as a “Rising Star” by the Maryland Super Lawyers & Rising Stars 2009 publication in the January 2009 edition of the magazine. Attorneys featured as Maryland Rising Stars for 2009 were selected from the results of an extensive nomination and polling process and through independent research conducted by Law & Politics and published in the January 2009 issue of Maryland Super Lawyers magazine. The attorneys listed in Rising Stars are limited to 2.5% of the outstanding emerging lawyers in Maryland who are age 40 and under, or have been practicing 10 years or less.

DHS announced that December 3, 2008 is Jock Scharfen's last day as Acting Director for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

People are becoming increasingly mobile within and across borders in order to meet the economic challenges of globalization according to the 2008 World Migration Report, released this week by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The report predicts that as demand for low skilled labor in developed nations grows, so too will the pressure for greater international labor mobility. According to the report's authors, despite the global economic crises developed nations would do well to address this growing void in their workforces by developing immigration policies that encourage more immigrant workers.

"[Immigration policies] are especially important during downturns in the global economy such as the one we are witnessing today. The Asian financial crisis of the 1990's showed that even in times of economic hardship, there is still a structural need for migrants," argues Gervais Appave, one of the editors of the report. "The world is on the move, there is no turning away from that. If we harness that mobility through policies addressing both human and economic needs, many of the migration anomalies of the past can be overcome and we would see real progress when we talk about global development," he concludes.

To access the full report visit the International Organization for Migration website.

On December 3, 2008 USCIS updated the count of H-2B petitions received and counted towards the H-2B cap on the USCIS website. As of December 1, 2008, 12,371 petitions have been counted towards the 33,000 cap for the second half of FY 2009.

Nankin & Verma PLLC is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned website.