Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers should identify as soon as possible any current employees and employment candidates who may require H-1B work permit sponsorship before October 1, 2021, given that it is anticipated USCIS will...more
12/12/2019
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Filing Fees ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Job Applicants ,
Lottery ,
NAFTA ,
OPT ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Vetting ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas ,
Work Permits
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS confirms FY 2020 H-1B petition selection is complete.
On April 10, 2019, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) received sufficient H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 H-1B visa...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective September 11, 2018, USCIS will suspend Premium Processing for all H-1B petitions filed at the Vermont and California Service Centers until February 19, 2019 (excluding filings by cap-exempt...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS recently announced that the agency will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 cap beginning on April 2, 2018. ...more
3/22/2018
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Seyfarth Synopsis: Country-specific travel restrictions will impact nationals of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela....more
9/26/2017
/ B-1 ,
B-2 ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
National Security ,
Refugees ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
Seyfarth Synopsis: The EO orders the Departments of State, Justice, Labor, and Homeland Security to propose new rules and issue new guidance to “protect the interests of U.S. workers” and “promote the functioning of the H-1B...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Federal judges from Hawaii and Maryland have issued nationwide Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) effectively blocking the implementation of the Trump administration’s revised travel ban, which was...more
3/17/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
Refugees ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
TRO ,
Trump Administration ,
Vetting ,
Visa Interview Waiver Program (VIWP) ,
Visas
Seyfarth Synopsis: A three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration’s motion to reinstate the travel ban.
Late on Thursday, February 9, the Ninth Circuit panel voted to...more
2/13/2017
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lack of Evidence ,
Muslims ,
National Security ,
Order to Stay ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Restraining Orders ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers and foreign nationals should take note of critical changes to DHS’ regulations impacting employment-based immigration for highly skilled workers.
On January 17, 2017, the Department of...more
12/5/2016
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-1 ,
E-2 ,
E-3 ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Form I-140 Petitions ,
Grace Period ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
L-1 ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
Portability ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS
Seyfarth Synopsis: New regulations will increase fines on U.S. employers for unlawfully employing foreign nationals and engaging in unfair employment practices related to immigration.
In the wake of the Bipartisan...more
Seyfarth Synopsis in a Second: Visa Waiver Program travelers to the U.S. must now possess an e-Passport.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that effective April 1, 2016, in accordance with the...more
On January 23, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a motion to extend the stay of vacatur of the current STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program until May 10, 2016, providing the...more
In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in visa application processing delays due to Section 221(g), otherwise known as “Administrative Processing.” Ramped up fraud prevention and related security procedures...more
U.S. employers enrolled in E-Verify -- the electronic system of employment eligibility verification -- should prepare to download and preserve all E-Verify data submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...more
In accordance with significant procedural revisions announced in September and implemented by the Department of State (DOS) with the publication of the revised October 2015 Visa Bulletin, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration...more
U.S. employers enrolled in E-Verify -- the electronic system of employment eligibility verification -- should prepare to download and preserve all E-Verify data submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...more
On September 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released a revised Visa Bulletin for October 2015. This bulletin supersedes the October 2015 bulletin originally published on September 9, 2015. Following...more
In accordance with President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration proposed in November 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a new system for determining immigrant visa availability, establishing bifurcated...more
9/11/2015
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EB-2 ,
Executive Orders ,
Filing Deadlines ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Reform ,
India ,
Obama Administration ,
PERM ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Work Visas
In accordance with President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration proposed in November 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is expected to announce a new system for determining immigrant visa availability,...more
9/9/2015
/ China ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Reform ,
India ,
Obama Administration ,
PERM ,
Popular ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
On Wednesday, August 12, 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle of the District of Columbia vacated the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2008 rule allowing F-1 students in the U.S. with college-level degrees in...more