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Early Visa Extension Filings Could Save Employers Money as USCIS Increases Filing Fee

Cost increases due to inflation have become a norm over the last two years, and immigration fees are no exception. USCIS announced that effective April 1, 2024, fees for certain immigration benefits will be adjusted for the...more

Ready, Set, Go . . . H-1B FY2025 Lottery Registration Dates Announced with Process Changes

Employers wishing to sponsor a candidate for an H-1B visa in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 are approaching an important time of year. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the H-1B cap lottery...more

Fiscal Year 2024 H-1B Lottery Limits Reached

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced all available visas in the Fiscal Year 2024 H-1B lottery program have been utilized. Each year, 65,000 H-1B visas are available for positions...more

Planning Ahead for Foreign National Holiday Travel

Foreign nationals often coordinate travel abroad to coincide with the holidays. December can be one of the busiest times of year for visa processing at U.S. Consulates and Embassies abroad. Here are a few helpful...more

Domestic Visa Renewal Could Return in 2024

The Department of State (DOS) appears primed to renew the practice of domestic visa renewal for at least some foreign nationals in 2024. DOS sent a Federal Register notice titled Pilot Program to Resume Renewal of H-1B...more

Revised I-9 Becomes Mandatory November 1, 2023

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has instituted a revised Form I-9 that is mandatory for all employers, starting November 1, 2023. USCIS announced the new version in August, in part to aid with...more

Employment Authorization Documents Associated with Adjustment of Status Now Valid for Five Years

In an effort to address the ongoing Employment Authorization Document (more commonly known as an “EAD”) processing backlog, USCIS recently announced it would lengthen the maximum validity period for certain EAD categories to...more

DHS Advances Remote I-9 Document Pilot Program for Non-E-Verify Employers

Last month, DHS announced E-Verify employers would be eligible to utilize an alternative remote document verification procedure when completing Section 2 of Form I-9, starting August 1, 2023. Only a few days later, DHS...more

Small Change in the Child Status Protection Act Will Have Significant Impact on Immigrant Families

On February 14, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made a small change in the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) that will have a significant impact on the lives of many immigrant families....more

FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration Period to Open March 1st, 2023

USCIS recently announced the annual registration period for the FY2024 H-1B cap will open at noon (ET) on March 1, 2023, and remain open until noon (ET) on March 17, 2023. Registration is an annual electronic process through...more

FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration Period Approaching

Employers wishing to sponsor a candidate for an H-1B visa in Fiscal Year 2024 are approaching an important time of year. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to announce the H-1B cap...more

Temporary Waiver of “60 Day Rule” Signature Validity for Form I-693 Extended

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced an extension to its waiver of the civil surgeon signature validity requirement for Form I-693. Form I-693 is the Report of Medical Examination and...more

USICS Continues Premium Processing Expansion Implementation

Since its introduction in 2001, the Premium Processing service offered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has seen notable changes. Premium Processing was originally introduced as an option for certain...more

USCIS Increases 180-day EAD Automatic Extension to 540 Days for Certain Applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a Temporary Final Rule that will increase the 180-day automatic extension period for some Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) to 540 days beyond the EAD’s...more

H-1B Cap Registration Period Deadlines Announced for FY2023

Last week, USCIS announced the H-1B visa cap registration deadlines for FY2023. Registration is mandatory for employers wishing to sponsor a candidate for an H-1B visa in the FY2023 H-1B cap cycle. Registration is an annual...more

Regional COVID-19 Travel Ban Exception Criteria Change

While the United States has seen a drastic drop in COVID-19 cases as vaccinations become more prevalent, other countries continue to see significant infection rates.  Travel restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of...more

So Your Employee Wasn’t Selected in the H-1B Lottery… Now What?

On March 30, 2021, USCIS announced completion of the initial FY2022 H-1B Cap-Subject lottery selection process.  Beginning April 1st, those selected were eligible to start filing.  But what if your employee was not selected? ...more

DOL’s Second Try at Prevailing Wage Rule May Impact H-1B and Green Card Filings

After federal courts blocked their first attempt in December, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently published a new final rule seeking to again increase the minimum wage paid to foreign workers when sponsored for an...more

USCIS to Resume Premium Processing

On May 29, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced the phased resumption of Premium Processing. Premium Processing allows employers to obtain expedited decisions on certain immigration filings by...more

President Signs New Executive Order Restricting Immigration

On April 22, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order restricting immigration to the United States with the stated intent of protecting U.S. citizens from job competition and preserving medical resources as the economy...more

International Travel Update

Additional Restrictions:  The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have been added to the list of countries subject to travel restrictions....more

The Facts on the COVID-19 European Travel Ban

Last Wednesday night, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting direct travel from the European “Schengen” Region to the United States.  There has been some confusion about the nature of the restrictions and who is...more

USCIS Steps Up VISA Enforcement Activity

Employers who file I-129 petitions to sponsor foreign nationals for work visas make a number of representations to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) about the terms of the foreign national’s employment,...more

Taking Care of Business: Effectively Using L and E Visa Strategies to Address Workforce Needs

Now that the April 1, 2019 H-1B visa deadline has passed, thousands of employers may find themselves looking for an alternative to employ valuable foreign workers. While not receiving as much media popularity as the H-1B...more

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