CASE: I-140 (EB-2 Category) / Schedule A / Premium Processing

EMPLOYER: Nursing Care Facility

BENEFICIARY: Filipina

LOCATION: Houston, TX

Our client is from the Philippines. Her prospective employer-sponsor was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she has a registered nurse license and the proffered position for her is a health services manager (nurse manager) at the nursing care facility, the petition wanted to try going for a “Schedule A” classification. They also wanted to do EB2 (requiring at least a Masters degree or Bachelors degree + 5 yrs experience). She did not have 5 years experience, but she had a Masters in Nursing.

The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without having to file a Labor Certification with the Department of Labor. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. We argued that the position of Health Services Manager should be classified under Schedule A. We argued that it falls under the broad spectrum of “professional nurse” occupations. We also argued that the job description has excerpts that fall under “professional nurse” and that the description justifies the requirements also of Bachelor’s degree in nursing and five years of related experiences.

Our client has a Master’s degree in nursing. She also has a registered nursing license in the state of Texas. Our office was retained and we started on the Prevailing Wage Determination filing and other related matters.

Once the prevailing wage was determined, we filed the I-140 application on December 15, 2014 via premium processing. We included a job offer letter, the notice of filing, employment letter, and other necessary supporting documents. In our cover brief, we included the “ability to pay” argument and why the health services manager position falls under a Schedule A and EB2 designation.

Eventually, on December 22, 2014, the USCIS Texas Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition. Now, with the approved EB-2 I-140 petition (priority date for EB2 Philippines nationals is current), she can file her adjustment of status application at any time (she could have filed it simultaneous to the I-140, we just want to make sure the I-140 was approved first).

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CASE: Marriage-Based Petition and Adjustment of Status

CLIENT: Filipino

LOCATION: Houston, TX

Our Filipino client came to the United States on a H-4 visa in May 2004. Later, he changed his status to H-1B. He married his U.S. citizen wife in September 2013 when his spouse was a Lawful Permanent Resident. She became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in June 2014. Once she was naturalized, our client retained our office on August 4, 2014 for his adjustment of status application.  Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and Adjustment of Status Application on August 22, 2014.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls. On November 12, 2014, our client was interviewed at the Houston, TX USCIS. On the same day, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: I-140 (EB-2 Category) / Schedule A / Premium Processing

EMPLOYER: Nursing Care Facility

BENEFICIARY: Filipina

LOCATION: Houston, TX

Our client is from the Philippines. Her prospective employer-sponsor is willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she has a registered nurse license and the proffered position for her is a health services manager (nurse manager) at the nursing care facility, the petition wanted to try going for a “Schedule A” classification. They also wanted to do EB2 (requiring at least a Masters degree or Bachelors degree + 5 yrs experience).

The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without having to file a Labor Certification with the Department of Labor. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. We argued that the position of Health Services Manager should be classified under Schedule A. We argued that it falls under the broad spectrum of “professional nurse” occupations. We also argued that the job description has excerpts that fall under “professional nurse” and that the description justifies the requirements also of Bachelor’s degree in nursing and five years of related experiences.

Our client has a Bachelor’s degree in nursing and has more than five years total experience as a clinical director and as midwife. She also has a registered nursing license in the state of Texas. Our office was retained and we started on the Prevailing Wage Determination filing and other related matters.

Once the prevailing wage was determined, we filed the I-140 application on September 5, 2014 via premium processing. We included a job offer letter, the notice of filing, employment letter, and other necessary supporting documents. In our cover brief, we included the “ability to pay” argument and why the health services manager position falls under a Schedule A and EB2 designation.

However, on September 19, 2014, the USCIS issued a Notice of Intent to Deny. The USCIS argued that they cannot approve her I-140 petition because the proffered position, Health Services Manager, does not fall under Schedule A designation and it is not an EB-2 classified position.

We prepared an extensive response. In our response brief, we cited an AAO decision and argued that positions other than “registered nurses” can fall under the definition of professional nurses, and thus fall under the Schedule A designation as well. The position of Health Services Manager for Petitioner, considering its job description, is a “position other than registered nurses that still falls within the definition of a professional nurse.” As to the EB-2 classification argument, our office argued that the proffered position has a supervisory role and the complexity of job duties justify the EB-2 designation and the required 5 years experiences under the ONET Job Zone and the Department of Labor’s level. With this detailed response brief and other supporting documents, our office filed a Response to Notice of Intent to Deny to USCIS Texas Service Center on October 8, 2014.

Eventually, on October 22, 2014, the USCIS Texas Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition. Now, with the approved EB-2 I-140 petition (priority date for EB2 Philippines nationals is current), she can file her adjustment of status application at any time (she could have filed it simultaneous to the I-140, we just want to make sure the I-140 was approved first).

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CASE: I-140 (EB-2 Category) / Schedule A / Premium Processing

EMPLOYER: Physician’s Office

BENEFICIARY: South Korea

LOCATION: Greater Houston Area, TX

Our client is a certified nurse practitioner. Her prospective employer was willing to petition her for a second-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Since she was a certified nurse practitioner, she was eligible for “Schedule A” classification.

The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the DOL for a labor certification. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. The position of Nurse Practitioner is included in Schedule A.

Our client has a Bachelors and Masters degree in nursing and is a certified Nurse Practitioner. Our office was retained on June 10, 2014 and we filed a Prevailing Wage Determination Request immediately.

We filed the I-140 application on October 6, 2014 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, employment letter, and other necessary supporting documents.

In our cover brief, we included the “ability to pay” argument and why nurse practitioners must fall under the Schedule A designation.

On October 21, 2014, without any Request for Evidence (RFE), the USCIS Texas Service Center approved her EB-2 I-140 petition. Since the priority date for South Korean nationals is current for the EB-2 category, she is eligible to file her adjustment of status application now.

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CASE: I-140 (EB-3 Category) / Schedule A / Old Priority Date Retention

EMPLOYER: Nursing / Rehabilitation Center

BENEFICIARY: Filipino Registered Nurse in Bangkok, Thailand

LOCATION: Houston, TX

Our client’s beneficiary is a registered nurse from the Philippines licensed in the state of Texas. Currently, he is working at a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand as a nurse. His prospective employer was willing to petition him for a third-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Our client also has an approved EB-3 I-140 petition with a priority date of January 2009.

Since he is a registered nurse, he is eligible for “Schedule A” classification. The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the DOL for a labor certification. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. The position of Professional Nurses is included in Schedule A.

Also, under 8 CFR 204.5(e):

“Retention of section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) priority date. A petition approved on behalf of an alien under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act accords the alien the priority date of the approved petition for any subsequently filed petition for any classification under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act for which the alien may qualify. In the event that the alien is the beneficiary of multiple petitions under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act, the alien shall be entitled to the earliest priority date. A petition revoked under sections 204(e) or 205 of the Act will not confer a priority date, nor will any priority date be established as a result of a denied petition. A priority date is not transferable to another alien.”

As mentioned above, our client’s approved I-140 petition was not denied, was actually approved, and was never revoked at any point. Thus, by virtue of 8 CFR 204.5(e), this succeeding I-140 Petition by our client’s prospective employer for our client is entitled to the previous priority date.

Our client has a nursing degree and has several years of related experience. Our firm told him that his potential employer can petition him as a Registered Nurse under the schedule A category. More importantly, since the priority date of his previous I-140 was current, he can eventually apply for his immigrant visa via consular processing. Our office was retained on July 27, 2014 and we started on his Prevailing Wage Request.

We filed the I-140 application on October 2, 2014 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, his previous I-140 approval notice, and other necessary supporting documents.  Eventually, on October 16, 2014, the I-140 was approved and it retained our client’s old priority date.  Now, our client can eventually file his immigrant visa application.

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CASE: H-1B Visa Petition (Change of Employer)

PETITIONER:  E-Commerce Merchandiser in Dallas, TX

BENEFICIARY: Korean Marketing Analyst in Seoul, South Korea

Our client is an E-Commerce Merchandising company located in Dallas, Texas.  They contacted our office in late September to seek legal assistance from our office for their foreign employee.  The beneficiary obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in United States. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Marketing Analyst which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.

The foreign beneficiary in this case already had her H-1B visa from her previous employer which was in a similar industry, but she tried to change her employer and filed an H-1B transfer in February 2014. This H-1B transfer was denied, so she filed a Motion to Reopen in April 2014 which was subsequently denied by the USCIS in June 2014.

After that, she went back to South Korea and retained our firm to do an H-1B transfer. We prepared the application and included an H-1B recapture argument, to get back the remaining period of H-1B time from her termination of the employment with her previous employer.

Once retained, our office prepared and filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on September 26, 2014 via premium processing service. The USCIS mailed a Request for Evidence to the Petitioner-Employer and requested Petitioner to submit additional evidence to establish that the proffered position to the beneficiary qualified as a “Specialty Occupation” on October 6, 2014.

The USCIS argued that the proffered “Marketing Analyst” position in Petitioner’s business did not qualify as a “Specialty Occupation”.

We gathered supporting documents from both the Petitioner and Beneficiary and did research on the industry, focusing on similarly sized businesses, to demonstrate that a bachelor’s degree is commonly required for this position.

In the response brief, our office argued that the degree requirement is common to this industry in parallel positions among similar organizations.  We provided evidence that the position of Marketing Analyst is a common position required by similarly sized E-Commerce Merchandising companies.  Also, we provided evidence that Petitioner’s competitors normally require degrees in a specific specialty for closely related positions like that of Marketing Analyst.  Moreover, our office asserted that the nature of the specific duties is so specialized and complex that knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a baccalaureate or higher degree in a specific specialty. Other documents pertaining to re-capture arguments were submitted.

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CASE: I-140 (EB-3 Category) / Schedule A / Old Priority Date Retention

EMPLOYER: Nursing / Rehabilitation Center

BENEFICIARY: Filipina

LOCATION: Houston, TX

Our client’s beneficiary is a registered nurse from the Philippines licensed in the state of Texas. She came to the United States in 2013 and now she holds an F-1 status, and her prospective employer was willing to petition her for a third-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Our client also has an approved EB-3 I-140 petition with a priority date of July 2007.

Since she is a registered nurse, she is eligible for “Schedule A” classification. The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the DOL for a labor certification. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. The position of Professional Nurses is included in Schedule A.

Also, under 8 CFR 204.5(e):

“Retention of section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) priority date. A petition approved on behalf of an alien under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act accords the alien the priority date of the approved petition for any subsequently filed petition for any classification under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act for which the alien may qualify. In the event that the alien is the beneficiary of multiple petitions under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act, the alien shall be entitled to the earliest priority date. A petition revoked under sections 204(e) or 205 of the Act will not confer a priority date, nor will any priority date be established as a result of a denied petition. A priority date is not transferable to another alien.”

As mentioned above, our client’s approved I-140 petition was not denied, was actually approved, and was never revoked at any point. Thus, by virtue of 8 CFR 204.5(e), this succeeding I-140 Petition by our client’s prospective employer for our client is entitled to the previous priority date.

Our client has a nursing degree and has several years of related experience. Our firm told her that her potential employer can petition her as a Registered Nurse under the schedule A category. More importantly, since the priority date of her previous I-140 was current, she can eventually apply for adjustment (can actually be filed simultaneously, the beneficiary just opted to wait for the I-140 approval to make sure we got the approval and the old priority date). Our office was retained on July 28, 2014 and started on her Prevailing Wage Request.

We filed the I-140 application on September 12, 2014 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, her previous I-140 approval notice, and other necessary supporting documents.  Eventually, on September 24, 2014, the I-140 was approved and it retained our client’s old priority date.  Now, our client can file an I-485 adjustment of status application based on the approved I-140 petition since her priority date is current.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status.
NATIONALITY: Australian
LOCATION: Houston, TX

The marriage-based green card approval we got recently was for an Australian client who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in 1999. She came to the U.S. with her father who came on a J-1 visa for his research program in the United States.  Later, our client changed her J-2 visa to F-1 visa.  After she graduated, she married her current U.S. citizen husband in 2007 and her husband filed an I-130 petition on behalf of our client.  The I-130 petition was approved in July 2010. She did an adjustment of status application by herself before retaining us, and this was denied due to her being subject to the two-year foreign residence requirement.

As explained in a previous success story, our office worked on our client’s J-2 visa waiver through the Interested Government Agency (IGA) route.  Eventually, the CIS issued an I-612 approval notice on April 28, 2014.

After we received the I-612 waiver, our client retained us again and sought legal assistance for her I-485 adjustment of status application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-485 adjustment of status application on July 3, 2014. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients through conference calls. On September 18, 2014, our client was interviewed at the Houston, Texas USCIS office. On the same day, her green card application was approved.

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CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement Post-Divorce

NATIONALITY: Vietnamese

LOCATION: Houston, Texas

Our client is a citizen of Vietnam who initially came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in December 2011. He came with his ex-wife who held a J-1 Visa as a visiting researcher. Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

Unfortunately, their marriage did not work out and he eventually got divorced from his ex-wife. In June 2014, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife. She is willing to file an I-130 for our client, but our client cannot file an adjustment of status application without a waiver of the two-year foreign residency requirement.

He contacted our office, and our firm was retained for his J-2 waiver.  On June 18, 2014 the J-2 Waiver was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client was divorced from the J-1 visa holder.

On July 30, 2014, the DOS sent a recommendation to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for our client to be granted a waiver. On August 25, 2014, the USCIS issued the I-612 waiver approval.

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CASE: EB-2 I-140 Petition / Response to Notice of Intent to Deny

EMPLOYER: Radio Broadcasting Company

BENEFICIARY: Zambian Business Operating Manager

LOCATION: Texas

Our client is a business operating manager from Zambia, who used to work at a radio broadcasting company in Texas under his OPT program. While he was working there, the company was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Master’s degree in Business Administration and has worked for this company for a year under the OPT program. Currently, our client is in F-2 status. He could not continue working there since his OPT expired.

After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his potential employer can petition him as a Business Operating Manager. Based on our client’s educational, professional and working background as an engineer and management analyst, our office determined that he is eligible for EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing the PERM labor certification, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that the PERM Labor Certification application could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad.

Within a week from our retention, the prevailing wage request was filed.  On January 9, 2014, we filed the PERM labor certification application.  Eventually, on June 23, 2014, the PERM labor certification was approved.

Once the PERM was certified, we then proceeded with the I-140 petition filing. Our office submitted an “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application on July 11, 2014 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, employer’s tax records, and other necessary supporting documents. However, on July 23, 2014, the USCIS Texas Service Center issued a Notice of Intent to Deny for our client’s I-140 petition. According to the Notice of Intent to Deny, the USCIS requested the Petitioner to prove “ability to pay” for beneficiary’s proposed salary. In response to that, our office showed the beneficiary’s previous pay stubs and demonstrated that his previous salary was over and above the prevailing wage for his proposed position. Our office filed a Response to Notice of Intent to Deny which included a 7-page brief and supporting evidence on August 11, 2014.

Eventually, the USCIS approved the I-140 petition on August 15, 2014. Now, with the approved EB-2 I-140 petition (priority date for EB2 Zambian nationals is current), our client can file his adjustment of status application at any time (he could have filed it simultaneously, but beneficiary wanted to make sure the I-140 was approved first).

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