The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin SharmaFeaturing news, updates, policy developments and commentary on U.S. Immigration mattersAboutSubscribe to RSSMay 5, 2015in USCIS Guidelines and AnnouncementsLeave a commentUSCIS Announces Immigration Relief Measures for Nepali NationalsVIA USCIS.GOVImmigration Relief Measures for Nepali NationalsUSCIS has several immigration relief measures that may be available to Nepali nationals who are affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015.Measures that may be available to eligible Nepali nationals upon request include:Change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even if the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;A grant of re-parole;Expedited processing of advance parole requests;Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate;Consideration for waivers of fees associated with USCIS benefit applications, based on an inability to pay; andAssistance replacing lost or damaged immigration or travel documents issued by USCIS, such as Permanent Resident Cards (green cards).To learn how to request relief or more about how USCIS assists customers affected by unforeseen circumstances in their home country, visit uscis.gov/humanitarian/special-situations or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD for the hearing impaired: 1-800-767-1833).May 5, 2015in H-1B Visas, USCIS Guidelines and AnnouncementsLeave a commentH-1B Update: On May 4, 2015 USCIS Completed Data Entry of FY 2016 H-1B Cap-Subject Petitions and will begin Returning Rejected CasesUSCIS announced May 4, 2015, that it has completed data entry of all fiscal year 2016 H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in our computer-generated random process. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap subject petitions that were not selected. Due to the high volume of filings, the time frame for returning these petitions is uncertain. USCIS asks petitioners to not inquire about the status of submitted cap-subject petitions until they receive a receipt notice or an unselected petition is returned. USCIS will issue an announcement once all the petitions have been returned.January 13, 2015in Employment Based Green Cards, US Department of StateLeave a commentInsight into anticipated EB-2 (India) Visa Priority Date Movements from AILA/U.S. Department of StateVIA AILAOn January 9, 2015, the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Department of State Liaison Committee asked Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State for his thoughts on current and future trends/projections with regards to immigrant visa preference categories. The Committee hopes that this action may help provide additional insight,