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
11/9/2023
/ Federal Pilot Programs ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewal Options ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
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
2/17/2023
/ CSPA ,
Family Members ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
I-485 Applications ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Minors ,
Residency Status ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a new “public charge” final rule that will go into effect December 23, 2022. The new rule will apply to all permanent residency (Green Card) applications filed on or...more
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
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
5/11/2022
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Time Extensions ,
USCIS
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
6/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-2 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-Visas ,
National Interest Waiver ,
O Visa Petitions ,
Travel Ban
Focus -
America's Immigration System: President Biden's First 100 Days -
Last month, President Joe Biden ("President Biden") wrapped up his first 100 days as President of the United States – focusing on a myriad of...more
Last month, President Joe Biden (“President Biden”) wrapped up his first 100 days as President of the United States – focusing on a myriad of issues from the Coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) to America’s immigration system....more
5/20/2021
/ DACA ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Popular ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Charge ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
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
1/25/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
PERM ,
Prevailing Wages ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
It’s official, almost. Implementation of the new H-1B filing process for 2020 is fast approaching and more details have been released. DHS published a notice in the Federal Register on January 9, 2020, which officially...more
1/29/2020
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
New Regulations ,
USCIS ,
Visas
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
11/20/2019
/ Buy America ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
E-1 ,
E-2 ,
Enforcement Guidance ,
Executive Orders ,
FDNS ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Hiring & Firing ,
I-129 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investigations ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order today that granted the Trump Administration’s petitions for certiorari and partially granted the Administration’s motions to stay injunctions of the so-called “travel ban.” This means...more
6/28/2017
/ Bona Fide Relationship Test ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
National Security ,
Refugees ,
SCOTUS ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
The first months of President Trump’s administration have been a whirlwind of activity, and certainly immigration has been the subject of several executive orders and much controversy. The natural question that arises from...more
5/18/2017
/ Buy American Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
NAFTA ,
Popular ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies ,
Visas
If you have heard rumors that additional countries will be added to the Executive Order banning entry and suspending visa processing for seven countries, DON’T BELIEVE THEM. A story is circulating that the travel ban has...more
2/3/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
Here is what we know about the Executive Orders the Trump Administration has been signing and enforcing since late last week. More detailed updates will become available as the situation unfolds.
What...more
1/31/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
With all the talk about billions of dollars of investment in infrastructure and sweeping reversal of prior executive orders affecting construction labor and federal contracts, it should come as no surprise that President...more
1/31/2017
/ Construction Industry ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
Last Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced a proposal that would allow foreign entrepreneurs to enter the United States to operate high-growth, job-creating startup enterprises. As with other...more
8/31/2016
/ Business Development ,
Business Formation ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Job Creation ,
Popular ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Formation ,
Startups ,
Visas
The U.S. immigration system often is not conducive to short visits for tourism, making the U.S. a less than attractive vacation destination for international travelers. The State Department, which administers the processes...more
Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a hot topic in Congress and in the news media. While the debate continues to rage over issues pertaining to legal status for undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., don’t lose sight...more