Curran & Berger LLP

USCIS has recently announced its Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) initiative, a multi-faceted effort to attract and retain the next generation of immigrant entrepreneurs. This initiative kicked off with a stakeholders meeting held on February 28, 2012 in the Silicon Valley.

A group of USCIS staff and business startup experts are working to identify ways to enhance existing policies, practices, and training across a range of existing visa categories. The goal is to ensure that immigration pathways are clear and consistent, and reflect the business realities of entrepreneurs interested in coming to the US to create jobs.

 For more information, visit the White House Office of Public Engagement blog . 

The Department of State has released the March 2012 Visa Bulletin. The Visa Bulletin continues to show movement in the EB-2 categories for China and India. EB-2 professionals fom China and India with priority dates on or before May 1, 2010 are now current. Other categories continue to show forward movement. 

The Visa Bulletin is available here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/bulletin/bulletin_5664.html .

On January 31, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released an overview of anticipated administrative reforms to attract and retain highly skilled immigrants. Such reforms include strengthening the H-1B program, introducing a so-called "Startup Visa," and making it easier for certain foreign-born graduates in STEM(science, technology, engineering, math) fields to get green cards.

The announcement is available here .