Monday, July 27, 2015

August 2015 Visa Bulletin

From morganlewis.com

The August 2015 Visa Bulletin shows a large retrogression of visa numbers for EB-3 China, an advancement of two and a half months for the EB-2 China allotment. Visas for the EB-3 category for the Philippines will again become available, although they will be backlogged to June 1, 2004. The cutoff date for F2A applicants in China, India, Philippines, and the Rest of the World will advance by five weeks in August. The cutoff date for F2A applicants from Mexico will advance by five weeks as well.
travel.state.gov


EB-1: All EB-1 categories will remain current.
EB-2: The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-2 category chargeable to India will remain at October 1, 2008. The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-2 category chargeable to China will advance to December 15, 2013. The EB-2 category for all other countries will remain current.
EB-3: The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-3 category chargeable to India will advance by four months to June 1, 2004. The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-3 category chargeable to China will retrogress to June 1, 2004. The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-3 category chargeable to Mexico and the worldwide category will advance by three and a half months to July 15, 2015. The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-3 category chargeable to the Philippines has retrogressed to June 1, 2004.
EB-5: The cutoff date for applicants in the EB-5 category chargeable to China remains at September 1, 2013. The cutoff dates for applicants in the EB-5 category chargeable to the worldwide category remain current.

The relevant priority date cutoffs for foreign nationals in the EB-2 category are as follows:
China: December 15, 2011 (forward movement of 75 days)
India: October 1, 2008 (no change)
Mexico: Current
Philippines: Current
Rest of the World: Current

The relevant priority date cutoffs for foreign nationals in the EB-3 category are as follows:
China: June 1, 2004 (retrogression of 2,648 days)
India: June 1, 2004 (forward movement of 121 days)
Mexico: July 15, 2015 (forward movement of 105 days)
Philippines: June 1, 2004 
Rest of the World: July 15, 2015 (forward movement of 105 days)

The relevant priority date cutoffs for foreign nationals in the EB-5 category are as follows:
China: September 1, 2013 (no change)
Rest of the World: Current




Monday, July 13, 2015

USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for Extension of Stay H-1B Petitions

Beginning July 13, 2015, USCIS will resume accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for all Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, H-1B extension of stay petitions. 
USCIS previously announced on May 19, 2015, that premium processing service would be suspended for Form I-129 H-1B extension of stay petitions from May 26, 2015 to July 27, 2015. The temporary suspension allowed us to implement the Employment Authorization for Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses final rule in a timely manner and begin adjudication of applications for employment authorization filed by H-4 nonimmigrants under the new regulation. Premium processing remained available for all other types of Form I-129 H-1B petitions during the temporary suspension.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

IRS Spotlights Year-Round Tax Help in 6 Languages

From the IRS Newswire, 07/01/2015

The Internal Revenue Service today reminded taxpayers that a wide range of publications and online resources are available in six languages on IRS.gov, the agency’s popular web site.

IRS.gov features online resources in Chinese, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese, as well as English and Spanish. These multilingual resources are available throughout the year, not just during tax season.

Available resources include the agency’s cornerstone Taxpayer Bill of Rights document, Publication 1, titled “Your Rights as a Taxpayer.” The publication outlines the 10 key provisions that make up the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, including the right to: be informed, quality service, pay no more than the correct amount of tax, challenge the IRS’s position and be heard, appeal an IRS decision in an independent forum, finality, privacy, confidentiality, retain representation and a fair and just tax system.

Also available in English and Spanish is Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax. This comprehensive tax guide for individuals can be a worthwhile year-round reference for anyone still working on their 2014 return, as well as those planning for the years ahead. Other online resources are designed to help taxpayers understand the audit process, the collection process, the special rules that apply to taxpayers abroad and how to respond to IRS bills and notices. There is also information on tax fraud, including tips on spotting a phone scam, currently the most widespread tax-related scam.

To access these multilingual online resources, open the “Language” option in the top right-hand corner of IRS.gov or look for the “Other Languages” section at the bottom of each page of the website.

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