US Tech Visa Applications Are Being Put Through the Wringer

Since the end of January, Ryan Helgeson, a Chicago-based immigration attorney, has noticed an unusual trend: He’s been getting significantly more pushback from US Citizenship and Immigration Services as he files employment visa petitions on behalf of his foreign-born clients. Helgeson’s firm, McEntee Law Group, represents tech workers who hope to emigrate or remain in the US by way of visas granted for specialty occupations or extraordinary abilities. On average, Helgeson’s firm files 50 to 75 visa petitions per month. This goes up to as many as 90 per month at the height of “H-1B season,” when employers enter a lottery for visas on behalf of foreign workers, and candidates then file a formal petition. During his many years of practicing law, Helgeson and his team have occasionally received requests for additional evidence, or RFE’s, from USCIS, as a part of the agency’s process for vetting applicants. But since Donald Trump took office and began cracking down on immigration, Helgeso ... Read full article.