USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B CAP

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on December 2, 2024, they had reached the H-1B Cap for fiscal year 2025. The Service reported having received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated limits for the H-1B visa regular cap, as well as the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap) for FY2025. USCIS will be sending non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts “over the next few days.” 

Employers submitted registrations for 442,000 unique beneficiaries during FY 2025 H-1B cap registration period. USCIS went on to conduct two lottery selections, one in March 2024 and another in August 2024. For those not selected, remember there may still be hope.

Thanksgiving

Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday next Thursday, we took a moment to pause and reflect on the little things we are grateful for this year; moments that you may blink and miss amidst the daily grind that is life. Our perspectives are shaped by diverse experiences, such as the daily commute through Central Park with its beautiful views, childhood friendships, passing a chicken coop on the way to the office, tennis matches, the memory of a community aquarium that once thrived in Bed-Stuy, and sunsets. Always sunsets! We are thankful for these daily joys and look forward to celebrating other small moments together in the year to come.  We will be off next week but wanted to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Photos: 1. Sunset in New Hampshire, 2. Tennis and Sunsets, 3. Central Park, 4. Childhood Friendship, 5. Bed-Stuy Chicken Coop, 6. Brooklyn Views, 7. Bed-Stuy Aquarium, 8. Jogging Route in Miami

A Message of Gratitude, Support, and Hope for the Year Ahead

As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to reach out to you—our valued clients and friends—and express our sincere gratitude for your continued trust and support.

In light of the recent presidential election, we understand that the future may feel uncertain. However, we want to reassure you that we have faced moments of change before, and we are fully prepared to do so again. Our team remains committed to staying agile in the face of new developments, keeping you updated on changes to rules and regulations, challenging problematic USCIS decisions and processes, and continuing to deliver positive results for your cases. As always, we will advocate passionately for your rights, ambitions, and peace of mind, no matter what lies ahead.

This holiday season is a time to reflect on hope, connection, and the resilience we have shown together. In the year ahead, you can count on us to remain your dedicated partners, guiding and supporting you with the experience and resources you have come to rely on.

Wishing you peace, joy, and hope this holiday season, and a new year filled with opportunities and success. It is an honor to be part of your journey, and we look forward to continuing to stand by your side in the months and years to come.

“Secondary Forest” by Giulia Cenci

The High Line is one of our favorite spots in the city, and we are enjoying the last sunny days of fall by exploring the current contemporary art exhibitions on view. The installation “Secondary Forest” by Italian artist Giulia Cenci stands at 24th street, welcoming visitors to investigate the intersection of human forms and organic  elements. The sculptures depict animals, plants, and human appendages created from melted down scrap metal to create a forest that has regenerated after human-caused disturbances, much like the Highline itself. In fact, the artist described how the unique location of the exhibit, which hovers above NYC’s Meatpacking District, where slaughterhouses once stood and chic restaurants and shops now line the streets, influenced her work. As the artist explains, “[T]he High Line is a beautiful work itself; I immediately loved the way nature has been growing and devouring a manmade infrastructure. I started to fantasize about an area where different people, animals, plants, machines, and invisible entities are meeting and crossing.” Cenci’s thought-provoking work will be displayed through March 2025.

“The Little Mermaid” by Edvard Eriksen

When we were in Copenhagen last week for a gathering of the lawyers of the Rome District Chapter, we sought out this diminutive landmark because it reminded us of an immigration debate from many years ago, could Ariel really make the world her oyster?  

Perched atop a rock at the Copenhagen Harbor sits “The Little Mermaid”. Inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to fall in love with a prince on land, Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen, known for Carlsberg beer, commissioned Edvard Eriksen to bring  the whimsical princess to life in the form of a statute and gifted it to the city in 1913. According to legend, every morning and every night the mermaid swims from the bottom of the sea to the surface and waits on a rock, hoping to see her prince.  The Danes have proven to have a welcoming spirit to the migrant princess and she has thrived in Denmark for over a hundred years!

Día de los Muertos in Times Square

In the heart of Times Square, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) has unveiled three vibrantly colorful skeleton statutes in celebration of the traditional Día de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead. Celebrated on November 1 and 2 in Mexico, Día de los Muertos celebrates the rich cultural tradition that honors the memory of deceased loved ones and reminds us to appreciate life while we have it.

The installation, which is presented in partnership with the Times Square Alliance, the nonprofit Mi Casa es Puebla, and the Mexican Consulate invites visitors to remember and celebrate the memory of their dearly departed.