BHL Bogen

BHL Bogen
BridgehouseLaw LLP - Your Business Law Firm

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

New procedural notes for H-1B Visa


On July 7, 2014, U.S. Department of State announced that H-1B beneficiaries with an October 1, 2014 start of employment date may start filing their Visa applications now.
As you may already know, the H-1B program is used to employ qualified foreign workers that possess necessary professional skills and specialized knowledge. Some of the most prominent areas that often utilize H-1Bs are biotech, science, engineering, and computer programming.
Because only 65000 H-1B visas are allowed per one fiscal year, employers must file H-1B petitions in a timely manner. As past practice shows, cap on H-1Bsb was reached on June 1st, 2011 for FY 2012, on June 12th, 2012 for FY 2013, and on April 5th, 2013 for the fiscal year 2014
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Thanks to the new procedural notes released by the Department of State, U.S. Consular posts are authorized to issue H-1B Visas 90 days in advance of the applicant’s start date of employment. In other words, starting from July 1st, 2014 applicants whose employment starts on October 1st, 2014 may file their visa applications to obtain H-1B visa stamp. However, applicants must remember that they can enter the U.S. only 10 days prior to the start of employment.

Our advice is to start filing visa applications early!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Dead cell phones can no longer fly to the United States

The TSA has announced new security measures: you now might be asked to power up your devices before boarding a plane. This includes your cell phone and other electronic devices with a flat battery. "Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft," the TSA announced in a statement.
 
This new rule will be implemented at airports with direct flights to the US. Airports in Britain and Belgium have reported that their airports are affected.
 
Reports suggest these enhanced measure are a response to information that terrorists have developed bombs that could evade the usual screenings.

On Sunday, July 6, 2014, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed TSA to implement these new security measures at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States. TSA will continue to adjust security measures to ensure that travelers are guaranteed the highest levels of aviation security conducted as conveniently as possible.