March Visa Bulletin Includes Updates on Visa Availability in Coming Months
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for March 2023 includes updates on visa availability in various categories, including possible retrogressions in the coming months:
· Visa availability in the EB-2 preference category for all countries (including China and India): Higher than expected number use, primarily due to continued new filings by applicants from all countries with priority dates earlier than the established final action dates, will necessitate corrective action in the coming months to hold number use within the maximum allowed under the fiscal year 2023 annual limit.
· Visa availability in the EB-3 preference category: Increased demand in the Employment Third category may necessitate establishing a worldwide final action date (including Mexico and Philippines) in the coming months.
· Further retrogression in the EB-4 preference category: The number of use and demand in this category have continued to increase, which necessitates further retrogression of final action dates and application filing dates.
· Retrogression of the EB-5 preference category final action date for India: For March, the final action date for the EB-5 Unreserved category for India is set at 01JUN18.
The bulletin also notes that the National Visa Center has provided totals of applicants
SOURCE: ABIL Immigration Insider, February 19, 2023; and https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-for-march-2023.html
E-Verify Recommends Timeframes to Resolve Certain Social Security Mismatches; Deadline is September 29, 2023
E-Verify notified employers on February 15, 2023, that it recommends that employees with E-Verify Social Security Administration (SSA) Tentative Nonconfirmation mismatch cases falling within certain timeframes to visit their local SSA offices within preferred date ranges:
E-Verify said these timeframes are “recommended,” and that all affected employees must visit SSA to resolve their mismatch by September 29, 2023, or their cases will receive a Final Nonconfirmation.
SOURCE: ABIL Immigration Insider, February 19, 2023; and https://www.e-verify.gov/social-security-administration-resumes-e-verify-operations
FY 2024 H-1B Cap Registration Period Set
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Fiscal Year 2024 H-1B Cap Registration period will open at Noon ET on March 1st and close at Noon ET on March 17th. Any employer interested in filing an H-1B petition on behalf of an employee or potential employee must do so during that period. Employers that are new to the H-1B Registration process will need to create a USCIS registration account. However, employers will not be able to create that account until Noon ET on February 21st. The registration fee is currently $10 for each employee registered.
SOURCE: National Law Review: //www.natlawreview.com/type-law/immigration