l | Scott Legal, P.C.

Judge Blocks USCIS Application Fee Increase

California District Court Judge White has blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s fee increase, originally slated to take effect on October 2, 2020. The October 2 fee increase would have significantly increased the costs for most employment-based applications and other…

Jenny ZhanOctober 5, 2020

Covid 19

National Interest Exceptions to Travel Ban Expended to H-1B and L-1 Employees

In July 2020, the Department of State announced that certain business and student travelers may apply for a National Interest Exception (“NIE”). The NIE allows such travelers to travel to the United States even with the travel bans remaining in effect.…

Jenny ZhanAugust 17, 2020

L-1 Visa

What does the Presidential Proclamation on L visas mean for my application? Can I still apply for an L visa at a U.S. Consulate? Can I apply for L-1 status from within the US?

On June 22, 2020, a Presidential Proclamation was issued that impacts the ability of certain visa holders to enter the United States. Under this proclamation anyone who was outside the United States as of June 24, 2020 and did not…

Jenny ZhanAugust 17, 2020

Immigration News

USCIS to Increase Application Fees

The Department of Homeland Security has announced new application fees that will take effect on October 2, 2020. This new announcement will increase the application fees for most application types. USCIS is a for profit agency that uses application fees…

Jenny ZhanAugust 10, 2020

Questions & Answers

Does my passport have to be valid for 6 months beyond my initial period of stay in the U.S.?

If you are coming to the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa (e.g. a B-1 visa or B-2 visa), the general rule is that your passport must be valid for 6 months beyond the date you will exit the U.S. For…

Jenny ZhanJuly 15, 2020

L-1 Visa

How do I prove that I have been working for the foreign entity at least for one continuous year? Does the time I spent in the U.S. on a B visa count towards the one year?

An L-1A visa is a great visa for an employee or owner of a company abroad who wants to transfer to a U.S. office or open a new office in the United States. One of the L-1 visa requirements is that you…

Jenny ZhanJuly 2, 2020

L-1 Visa

I am in the U.S. on an L-1B and would like to stay for longer than 5 years. What are my options? Can I switch to an L-1A? Can I switch to any other visa?

The L-1B visa category allows employers outside the U.S. to transfer employees with specialized knowledge to a U.S. company that is a branch, affiliate, parent or subsidiary of the foreign employer. The employee must have worked for the company outside the U.S.…

Jenny ZhanJune 30, 2020

Immigration News

What are the Approval Rates for Visas? How Many Visas Are Approved?

The U.S. Government publishes data on the number of people who apply for visas at U.S. Consulates along with the number of visas that are issued and denied. This blog post summarizes some of the more comment visas and their…

Jenny ZhanJune 23, 2020