News

USCIS announced on Friday, March 27, 2020 that they had completed the H-1B lottery for the upcoming fiscal year. Each year, 85,000 visa numbers are available for individuals who are not already in H-1B status and who have been offered specialty occupation positions by U.S. employers. (Certain employers such as colleges, universities, government research organizations, or non-profit research organizations are exempt from this lottery.) 20,000 of these numbers are allocated to those with at least a U.S. Master’s degree. (Please note that of the total 85,000, 5800 however are reserved for those who are applying under the H-1B1 program –...

Our world is full of acronyms and the two latest ones are COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) and WFH (work from home). Needless to say, COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in all aspects and many have shifted either voluntarily or mandatorily to a WFH situation. In the immigration context, not only are there many more acronyms but additional considerations arise for employers as far as how to remain compliant with all the rules.

The first step of the H-1B (specialty occupation), H-1B1 (Singaporean/Chilean specialty occupation), and E-3 (Australian specialty occupation) nonimmigrant/short-term visa programs requires an employer to file an application with...

There’s no denying that COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our lives, from professional to personal. Our top priorities include the health and safety of our team members as well as delivering uninterrupted service to our clients. These unusual times require us to find new and innovative ways to do business.

Clark Lau LLC has team members working from home. Technology allows us to continue to conduct phone and video consultations with clients, to respond to inquiries concerning employer compliance during these unprecedented times, to report on late breaking changes to immigration practice and policies, and to continue to prepare and...

The current administration just announced that, as of 11:59 PM Monday March 16, 2020, travelers who have been to the United Kingdom or Ireland within the last 14 days will also be prohibited from entering the U.S. The U.K. and Ireland join the list of countries that include the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau), Iran, and countries from the Schengen region (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland) on this list.

We have also received reports...

President Trump issued another Presidential Proclamation as of March 11, 2020 restricting the entry of certain individuals who are attempting to enter the United States and who have been in any of the 26 Schengen countries within 14 days of their attempt to enter. This proclamation adds to the prior two proclamations that restrict entry for those who have been in the People’s Republic of China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) and Iran. Notably, the UK and Ireland are not included.

Certain exceptions to the travel restrictions include the following:

While there are 65,000 H-1B numbers available each year, and an additional 20,000 for those with at least a U.S. Master’s degree, there has not been enough to meet market demands. As a result, employers have had to plan ahead. In fact, in the past several years, employers have had to prepare complete petitions, along with supporting documentation, and file them as far as six months in advance to have a chance at a lottery system that determines whether their petitions would even be reviewed. The chance of success has hovered around 30-40%. (This refers to the success rate of...