Kathryn presented a free program at the Galleria Microsoft store on December 9th. The topic was “How Getting Laid Off Impacts Your Immigration Status”. To access the slide show click here

Worried About Layoffs in Your Industry? Take Action Now!

The Department of State released the January 2016 Visa Bulletin. EB-3 China (July 1, 2012) is still ahead of EB-2 China (February 1, 2012). Visa numbers are not available in the Certain Religious Workers (EB-4) and EB-5 Regional Center classes for China. The unavailability of EB-5 Regional Center visa numbers reflects the expiration of the EB-5 Pilot Program on December 11, 2015. If Congress acts to extend these Programs, the cut-off dates for the EB-5 Regional Center class would immediately become "Current" for all countries except China, which would be subject to a January 8, 2014 cut-off date.

On December 1, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the request from Texas and other states for a 30-day extension to file legal briefs in support of the lawsuit to block the DAPA program. Instead of the 30-day extension, the Court allowed an extension of only eight days. This is viewed as a procedural victory for the Obama administration as it would allow the court to hear the case during its current term and give the administration enough time to launch the program while Obama is still in office. If the Supreme Court hears the case during its current term, the decision would likely be published in June 2016.

I was honored to be inducted as a board member for the Houston Asian Chamber of Commerce on November 13th. It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve our community.

The global drop in oil prices has had a significant impact on our local economy and has resulted in layoffs by employers. These types of layoffs affect the status of individuals working in the US based on employer sponsorship. I am holding a seminar in Houston on December 9^th ,6:30 – 7:30 PM (CST ), that will help individuals and companies facing this issue. There is no cost to attend the seminar. If you would like to attend or know someone that might find this seminar helpful please register using the link below. You can Join us via WebEx or join us in Houston at the Microsoft Retail Store in Galleria.