INFORMATION ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S RECENTLY ANNOUNCED DEFERRED ACTION PROGRAM ENABLING LEGAL STATUS FOR CERTAIN YOUNG IMMIGRANTS
Jacksonville, FL – Immigration lawyer Ashwin Sharma welcomed the Administration’s recent announcement that younger immigrants may be eligible for “Deferred Action” and work authorization. The policy will grant qualified immigrants the opportunity to live free from fear of deportation and allow them to work legally. This is an exciting new development which brings hope to immigrants and their families. It is not, however, a permanent fix and does not grant permanent legal status to anyone.
To qualify, an individual must:
Attorney Ashwin Sharma interviewed on H-1B visas by Matt O’Brien of the San Jose Mercury News
“H-1Bs are a good indicator of how the economy is doing,” said Florida immigration lawyer Ashwin Sharma. “You only hire an IT consultant when there’s work available, and it’s work that has to be estimated six months in advance. If companies are taking that risk, there’s a belief that the economy is back and there’s money to be made.”
H-1B CAP MET JUNE 11 2012
FY 2013 H-1B Cap
On June 11, 2012, USCIS received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the statutory cap for FY 2013. On June 7, 2012, USCIS also received more than 20,000 H-1B petitions on behalf of persons exempt from the cap under the advanced degree exemption. USCIS will reject petitions subject to the cap for H-1B specialty occupation workers seeking an employment start date in FY 2013 that are received after June 11, 2012.
VISA INTERVIEW WAIVER PROGRAM AT US CONSULAR GENERAL, HYDERABAD
INTERVIEW WAIVER PROGRAM
- This pilot program permits consular officers to waive interviews for qualified nonimmigrant applicants worldwide who are renewing their visa within 48 months of the expiration of their previously held visa, and within the same classification as the previous visa.
- Embassies and consulates have been instructed to begin implementing this pilot program immediately.
- This pilot does not entitle any applicant to a waiver of personal appearance. Consular officers will retain the authority to interview any applicant who they determine requires a personal appearance.
In order to qualify, All of the following must be true:
FY 2013 H-1B Cap Count – As of July 1, 2012
FY 2013 H-1B Cap Count
| Cap Type | Cap Amount | Cap Eligible Petitions | Date of Last Count |
| H-1B Regular Cap | 65,000 | 55,600 | 06/01/2012 |
| H-1B Master’s Degree Exemption | 20,000 | 18,700 | 06/01/2012 |
The U.S. Immigration Law Blog by Ashwin Sharma 
Attorney Sharma defends client who was wrongly accused of being a ‘terrorist’ and barred from entering the United States
Attorney Sharma and our client were interviewed by Channel 4 News yesterday. Our client’s Afghan husband has been wrongly deemed permanently inadmissible to the U.S. under the Terrorism Related Inadmissibility Grounds section in the INA, the same overbroad regulation that many innocent individuals have been unjustly subject to.
For example: an asylee from Burundi was considered a terrorist under this regulation, and jailed for 20 months by the U.S. because he was found to have financially supported the Rebel group that robbed him of $4.00 and a bagged lunch. For fighting against Apartheid, Mr. Nelson Mandela was subjected to this regulation and had to be granted a waiver to enter the U.S. by the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Attorney Sharma will be filing an exemption for our client’s husband with the offices of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and/or U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Our exemption will petition the highest levels of our government to review this case again, and approve an admission to the U.S. if no adverse grounds are discovered.
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