H-1B CAP REACHED
USCIS announced that the H-1B cap was reached as of petitions submitted by May 26, 2006. Petitions received after that date will be returned. Petitions received on that date will be subject to a random selection process.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/06.01.2006_alert.htm

USCIS TO ALLOW PREMIUM PROCESSING FOR FORMS I-140, I-765, I-539
The USCIS recently announced that it will soon include I-140s, I-765s, and I-539s in the Premium Processing (PP) program. Under this program, the USCIS will guarantee that an approval or RFE within 15 business days of filing. The charge for the expedited process is $1,000. The USCIS has not yet announced the effective dates for this program.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/05.23.2006_alert.htm

A CALL TO ACTION: RETROGRESSION
HLG projects that the Schedule A visa allotment -- for Registered Nurses and Physical Therapists -- provided by the May 2005 legislation will end in 4Q 2006 (October-December 2006). HLG is in the process of reinvigorating its Advocacy team from 2004 and 2005. We are actively courting funding pledges.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/05.15.2006_alert.htm
 

HLG HEALTHCARE IMMIGRATION BLOG
Immigration legislation is at a crucial juncture. Just like last year, Hammond Law Group is leading a group of immigration attorneys who are universally committed toward making sure that the healthcare industry's needs are met. HLG is pleased to launch it's Healthcare Immigration Advocacy Blog. This Blog allows HLG's attorneys to timely post all critical information about retrogression, green card quotas for nurses and other healthcare occupations, legislation, and advocacy.
http://hammondlawgroup.blogspot.com/

IELTS ELIMINATES 90 DAY WAIT RE-TAKE RULE
Effective May 1, 2006 the policy on candidates re-taking IELTS has been amended. The restriction on re-taking IELTS within 90 days will be removed and candidates will be able to repeat the test whenever they wish. All candidates from 1 May are able to repeat at the next available test, regardless of the date of their previous test.
http://www.ielts.org/mediacentre/article286.aspx

NCSBN BOARDS OF NURSING LINKS
NCSBN has recently updated its links to all 50 state boards of nursing, as well as links to the relevant US territories and protectorates.
http://www.ncsbn.org/regulation/boardsofnursing_boards_of_nursing_board.asp

VHA’s Conference on Maximizing Work Force Performance
On October 9-11, the VHA will be holding their conference on Maximizing Work Force Performance at the Omni Interlocken Resort, Denver. Among other interesting panels is one on the latest trends that will impact the future of healthcare’s work force
https://www.vha.com/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_889_271_0_43/http%3B/remote.vha.com/public/educationnetworking/maximizingworkforceperformance.asp

ILW Mid-Year Update In Immigration Law Practice
HLG’s Sherry Neal will be hosting ILW’s 3 part Mid-Year Update in Immigration Law. The seminar features a variety of well-known immigration law practitioners.
http://www.ilw.com/seminars/may2006.shtm
 

HLG's SYMPOSIUM ON THE INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS (NEW YORK CITY, NY)
Our recent Symposium on the International Recruitment of Healthcare Workers held in New York City on May 5th provided an educational-focused networking environment for our clients. Hot topics such as retrogression, ability to pay, and processing times were hashed out among our panel of attorneys and other speakers. We look forward to our next opportunity to deliver a dedicated educational session to our clients on the west coast at our San Francisco Symposium scheduled for Fall 2006. Look for a forthcoming announcement with specific dates and details.
http://www.hammondlawfirm.com/alerts/05.11.2006_alert.htm

 

PROCESSING TIMES CHART – SCHEDULE A I-140   

SERVICE CENTER	PROCESSING DATES
California Service Center ( CSC )	N/A
AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV
Nebraska Service Center ( NSC )	February 8, 2006
AK, CO, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, ND, OH, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY
Texas Service Center ( TSC )	N/A
AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NM, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX
Vermont Service Center (VSC)	N/A
CT, DE, DC, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, VI, WV

 

PRIORITY DATES  

Employment-   Based	All Charge- ability Areas Except Those Listed	CHINA-mainland born	INDIA	MEXICO	PHILIPPINES
1st	C	01JUL05	01JAN06	C	C
2nd	C	01JUL04	01JAN03	C	C
3rd	01JUL01	01JUL01	08APR01	22APR01	01JUL01
Schedule A Workers	C	C	C	C	C
Other Workers	U	U	U	U	U