Adjusting Fees for Exchange Visitor Program

U.S. State Department Final Rule Adjusting Fees for Exchange Visitor Program: This fee change will take effect on March 26, 2011. Under the adjusted fee schedules, the fee charged to foreign nationals for a request for individual program services, such as change of program category, program extensions and reinstatements, will decrease to $233. The fee charged to U.S. corporate entities for requests for program designation, redesignation and amendments to program designation will increase to $2,700 in order to recoup the full cost of such services.

The Exchange Visitor Program Office of Designation provides services to 1,226 sponsor organizations and 350,000 Exchange Visitor Program participants. Statistically, there are Some 5,573 for-profit and tax-exempt entities that conduct foreign exchange program. Of these 1,226 Department designated entities, 933 are academic institutions and 293 are for-profit or tax-exempt entities.

SUMMARY: The Department of State is amending its regulations regarding fees and charges for Exchange Visitor Program services. The fees permit the Department to recoup the cost of providing such Exchange Visitor Program services.

DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective 30 days from February 25, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stanley S. Colvin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Private Sector Exchange, U.S. Department of State, SA-5, Floor 5, 2200 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20522, 202-632-2805, or e-mail at jexchanges@state.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department published a proposed rule, Public Notice 7077 at 75 FR 60674-60679, October 1, 2010, with a request for comments, amending Sec. 62.17 (``Fees and Charges'') containing all of the fees and charges for Exchange Visitor Program services. As explained in the proposed rule, the Department is increasing user fees charged for Exchange Visitor Program services in order to recoup the full cost of such services which are requested and performed for the benefit of foreign nationals or U.S. corporate entities.

These costs were calculated by an independent certified
public accounting firm in full compliance with the Office of Management and Budget directives regarding such user fee calculations as set forth in OMB Circular A-25.

The Department received three comments and is now promulgating a final rule with no changes from the proposed rule. Thus, the fee charged to foreign nationals for a request for individual program services, such as change of program category, program extensions and reinstatements, will decrease to $233. The fee charged to U.S. corporate entities for requests for program designation, redesignation and amendments to program designation will increase to $2,700 in order to recoup the full cost of such services.

http://www.greencardapply.com/news/news11/news11_0301.htm


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Form I-485 Application for Wife and Son

Q: I recently received my Green Card based on the NIW I-140 approval. My wife and son arrived U.S. from a third country recently. Can they file Form I-485 based on my NIW I-140 approval also? Is there a expiration date to file I-485 application for my wife or son?

Answer:

Commonly, individuals want to file the I-485 as soon as they are eligible to do so. This would be the first date of the month in which one's priority date becomes current. Eligibility as a derivative continues as long as the individual is still a spouse or child. It does not expire. As the derivative beneficiaries, your wife and son can proceed with their I-485 filings if they are in the United States. There is no set expiration date for eligibility to process a derivative I-485 adjustment filing. http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_1130.htm


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L-1B visa with specialized knowledge

Q: I am in L-1B visa three years already. After my employer sent out the L-1B visa renew application last month, we got an notice of Request For Evidence (RFE), asking for evidence of my "specialized knowledge". How to I reply the RFE for the question of L-1B visa with specialized knowledge?

Answer:

To prove a specialized knowledge capacity for the RFE response, the foreign national's knowledge must be different from or surpass the ordinary or usual knowledge of an employee in the particular field, and must have been gained through significant prior experience with the petitioning organization.

A specialized knowledge employee must have an advanced level of expertise in his or her organization's processes and procedures or special knowledge of the organization which is not readily available in the United States labor market. Some characteristics of an employee who has specialized knowledge are that he or she:

Possesses knowledge that is valuable to the employer's competitiveness in the market place;

1) Is uniquely qualified to contribute to the U.S. employer's knowledge of foreign operating conditions;

2) Has been utilized as a key employee abroad and has been given significant assignments which have enhanced the employer's productivity, competitiveness, image, or financial position.
http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_1119.htm


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"Cap-Gap" Relief for a F-1 student changing to H-1B Status

Q: What is the "Cap-Gap" Relief for a F-1 student changing to H-1B Status?

Answer:

Status change from F-1 to H-1B status often requires planning and the ability to navigate somewhat complex immigration laws and regulations. The timing and logistics are determined in large part by the H-1B cap and the cap-gap rule for F-1 students.

A F-1 students seeking to change status to H-1B within the United States must maintain a valid nonimmigrant status until the requested start date of employment in the H-1B petition. The exception to this is for certain F-1 students eligible for, what is referred to as, "cap-gap" relief. Such a student is allowed to remain in the United States pending the decision in the H-1B case, even if her/his status expires before the requested H-1B start date. In some instances, a student with Optional Practical Training (OPT) is able to continue to work while the H-1B petition is pending at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_1105.htm



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L1A visa to open a new office in U.S.

Q: As a manager, I need to apply for a L1A visa to open a new office in U.S. What king of evidence or documents I need to prepare to apply for the L1A visa?

Answer:

For a manager or executive to come to the U.S. to open a new office, you should provide the following evidence: 1) sufficient real estate space has been secured to operate a new office; 2) you have been employed for one continuous year in the three year period preceding the filing of the petition in an executive or managerial capacity and that the proposed employment involves executive or managerial authority over the new operation; 3) the intended United States operation will support an executive or managerial position.

You may also provide the following information regarding: the proposed nature of the office describing the scope of the entity, its organizational structure, and its financial goals; the size of the United States investment; the financial ability of the foreign entity to remunerate the beneficiary and to commence doing business in the United States; and the organizational structure of the foreign entity.
http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_0627.htm



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O-1 holder for EB1-Extraordinary Ability Application

Q: I am currently in O-1 status and doing research in Physics. Do I automatically qualify for the EB1-Extraordinary Ability Green Card category, or I still need to prove my qualification for the EB1-Extraordinary Ability category with an I-140 petition and many documents?

Answer:

As a fact, many people who qualify for temporary O-1 visas as persons of extraordinary ability do not automatically qualify for the permanent EB1-Extraordinary Ability (EB1-A) Green Card category, even though the standards are close. It is therefore important to prepare an I-140 petition for a person of extraordinary ability according to the statutory and regulatory guidelines in order to avoid a Request for Evidence:

1) Ensure that all forms are completely filled out;

2) Clearly document in a letter from the petitioner, or from the alien if it is a self petition, how the individual is qualified for this eminent category;

3) Ensure that the alien meets at least three of the required criteria as listed below. Although meeting three of the ten criteria of EB1-A would not guarantee that the alien will qualify as an individual of extraordinary ability in the arts, sciences, education, business or athletics, if he or can not satisfy at least three of these items, it may be wise to consider another category.

http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_0707.htm



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I-485 application if my NIW I-140 is rejected after the RFE?

Q: I filed a concurrent I-140/I-485 application in National Interest Waiver several months ago. Now, I get a RFE letter for my I-140 application, asking for more supporting materials and evidences. Please let me now what will happen for my I-485 application if my NIW I-140 is rejected after the RFE?

Answer:

The concurrent I-140/I-485 filing is supposed to permit the applicant a number of benefits, including availability of work permit card, advance parole for international travel, and similar benefits to the accompanying family members.

Under the law, I-485 remains intact unless it is denied as separate from the denial of I-140. To prevent the abuse of concurrent I-140/I-485 filing, the USCIS instructed the service centers to deny all the accompanying applications including I-485, I-485A, I-765, and I-131 simultaneously when the service centers deny the underlying I-140 application.
http://www.greencardapply.com/question/question10/question10_0720.htm



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