U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expanding its electronic filing access to encompass all H-1B filings. This includes H-1B “cap” or “lottery” registrations and “non-cap” petitions through the rollout of...more
In an excellent development, as of January 25, 2023, the U.S. government agreed to resume the process of “bundling” H-4 and L-2 dependent applications, – including I-765 work permission applications, with the H-1B and L-1...more
1/24/2023
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-4 ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 ,
L-2 Visas ,
Spouses ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The new year brings new possibilities, including a chance to register for the H-1B “lottery” for the fiscal year 2023. As a reminder, because of a limited number of new H-1Bs available for most employers, each year the U.S....more
The H-1B “lottery” will soon be upon us. Here are some action steps employers seeking an H-1B visa can take now to prepare.
H-1B Lottery Overview -
The number of new H-1Bs available for most employers each year is...more
1/19/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Lottery ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Registration Requirement ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
In its continuing effort to limit legal immigration, the Trump Administration announced two rule changes last week to radically limit H-1Bs and the most common employment-based permanent residence process.
The first rule...more
10/13/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
PERM ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Proposed Rules ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS
October is the start of the federal government fiscal year and always brings some immigration news. Last week we updated you on the jump forward in the immigrant visa waiting lines. Since then, more has been announced....more
On August 12, 2020, the Department of State (DOS) updated and expanded guidance regarding exceptions to the employment-related entry suspensions (Presidential Proclamations 10014 & 10052). As a reminder, these are the...more
8/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Exceptions ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
As expected, President Trump signed a Proclamation suspending entry into the United States of certain people eligible for temporary work visas, their spouses, and children effective June 24, 2020, until December 31, 2020. The...more
Many news reports indicate the Trump Administration will soon issue an expanded entry suspension to prevent entry into the United States of individuals holding H-1B and other work-related visas. While versions have been...more
The following post contains a breaking update on remote I-9 completion from the Department of Homeland Security, breaking updates from U.S. Department of Labor, as well as new immigration-related considerations that have...more
3/23/2020
/ Audits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
State of Emergency ,
Travel Restrictions ,
USCIS ,
Visas
While perhaps not top of mind when considering the many challenges that Coronavirus/COVID-19 poses to employers, immigration compliance is still required. Read the following advisory to prevent immigration law violations that...more
3/11/2020
/ Airlines ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
E-Verify ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Registration Requirement ,
Risk Management ,
Screening Procedures ,
USCIS ,
Visas
It’s the time of year when we stop to ponder some of life’s many mysteries. If you are an immigration lawyer or an employer who can’t find enough professional workers, one of those mysteries is why the federal government...more
12/12/2018
/ Buy America ,
Comment Period ,
Executive Orders ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
In our final post in this series looking at the current state of various aspects of immigration law, we are diving into H-1B, specifically the temporary suspension of premium processing for certain H-1B filings.
Catch up...more
This month, we are posting status updates on a few immigration policies that impact our clients. Last week, we covered the travel ban and changes to advance parole. ...more
The H-1B temporary work visa program has been the focus of much speculation lately. Recent news reports have claimed that the Trump Administration is planning major changes to the program in 2018. ...more
Premium processing (expedited review by the government) has resumed as of October 3, 2017, for all H-1B petitions. If you are interested in using premium processing for a new or pending H-1B petition, please let us know. ...more
This alert applies to you only if you are in H-1B, H-4, L-1 or L-2 status and you are applying for “adjustment of status” in the United States.
If you have been approved to immigrate (approved PERM or approved Form I-140)...more
Besides the wall, another immigration-related theme made a frequent appearance in the presidential campaign: the H-1B visa. This program allows foreign nationals with a bachelor’s degree or higher (or the equivalent in...more
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) announced its plan to stop premium processing on the first working day of April (Monday April 3, 2017) for all H-1B filings.
Background -
“Premium processing” is a...more
Both F-1 students and employers have been following the litigation over the F-1 OPT (optional practical training) program. The government was sued by tech workers in Washington, D.C. regarding a part of this program, the...more
4/15/2016
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Students ,
Form F-1 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
OPT ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
STEM ,
Training Requirements ,
USCIS
The H-1B “cap” petition filing deadline is quickly approaching. As a reminder, this is the national deadline for submitted petitions to sponsor workers in “specialty occupations” for those positions that are subject to the...more
Many of you are following the STEM OPT saga closely. As the original deadline of February 12, 2016, approaches, we are providing this brief update.
As background, the OPT (optional practical training) program is part...more
Visa Delays World Wide -
The Department of State (DOS) has announced that due to a central computer hardware problem, visa issuance has temporarily stopped.
Applicants interviewed after June 9 will experience...more
As promised since President Obama’s Executive Action of November 20, 2014, USCIS is amending its rules to allow work authorization for H-4 spouses in certain instances effective May 26, 2015.
H-4 spouses (spouse...more
We reviewed the outlines of the President's plan on immigration that he announced last week. These are broad outlines gained from a meeting with the White House that included staff of the American Immigration Lawyers...more