Demystifying Immigration Law
The Latest on E-2 Visa with Citizenship-by-Investment
Law Brief: H-1B Visas – New Process and New (Upcoming) Deadlines
Employment Visa Restrictions: Past, Present, and Future by Sang Shin
Update from Washington: Employer's Preview of Immigration Restrictions from the Administration
In response to a Lawsuit (Edakunni v. Mayorkas) filed on behalf of Spouses of H-1B and L-1 Visa Holders, USCIS has reached a settlement agreement which it will implement effective today, January 25, 2023....more
As previously reported, pursuant to a policy announced on November 12, 2022, USCIS will consider E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to be employment authorized incidental to their status. On January 30, 2022, USCIS and...more
As previously reported, under a new policy, USCIS will consider E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to be employment authorized incidental to their status. This means that upon admission and issuance of a valid I-94...more
On November 10, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reached a settlement in the class action Shergill v. Mayorkas. As part of the settlement, USCIS agreed to update its policy relating to H-4 and L-2...more
Employment Authorization Document (EAD) processing times have been severely delayed in recent years, rendering certain dependent nonimmigrants temporarily ineligible to work and causing gaps in some U.S. employers’...more
In a long-awaited effort to address delays and backlogs that have arisen due to consular closures and limited staffing over the last year-and-a-half, on December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it is...more
On November 12, 2021, USCIS issued a new policy that automatically extends employment authorization for dependent spouses in L-2 and E-1/E-2/E-3 status. The new policy also automatically extended employment authorization for...more
On November 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance addressing the automatic extension of employment authorization for H-4, L-2, and E dependent spouses in response to a class action...more
In our Nov. 11 client alert, we described the dramatic and beneficial changes to the employment authorization rules affecting dependent spouses of certain nonimmigrant visa holders. On Nov. 12, U.S. Citizenship and...more
Employment Authorization Policy for Nonimmigrant Dependent Spouses On November 10, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached a settlement in a landmark case, which provided structural changes for...more
Federal immigration officials just released helpful guidance that eases the process of spouses of highly skilled workers to receive their work authorization documentation, no doubt welcome news for employers across the...more
On November 12, 2021, USCIS updated its Policy Manual to permit H-4, E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to receive automatic extension of employment authorization in certain circumstances. Earlier in the week, USCIS...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS issued a Policy Memorandum following the settlement of a lawsuit that significantly changes work authorization rules for H-4, E, and L-2 spouses. Specifically, certain H-4, E, and L-2 Employment...more
A settlement has been reached in Shergill v. Mayorkas, a federal lawsuit seeking to compel US Citizenship and Immigration Services to follow its regulations by automatically granting work permit extensions to L-2 and H-4...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be suspending biometric screening requirements for H-4, L-2, E-1, E-2, and E-3 dependent visa holders for two years beginning May 17, 2021. This suspension will...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its Spring 2019 Regulatory Agenda, announcing the agency's priorities and how it plans to continue furthering the current administration's immigration-related goals....more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published its long-awaited “High-Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers” regulation today, Nov. 18, 2016. This regulation was proposed on Dec. 31, 2015. It will become...more
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday that starting May 26, 2015, it will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B Extension of Stay petitions until July 27, 2015. Employers are urged...more
As part of President Obama’s executive action on immigration reform, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced eligibility for select H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders to obtain employment...more
On February 24, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule that extends eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based...more
The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced that, effective May 26, 2015, the agency is extending employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants....more
The rule creates employment eligibility for H-4 spouses where the H-1B principal is subject to I-140 backlogs or is AC-21 eligible. In a release issued earlier today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced today that, pursuant to a published regulation that will be effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced today that, effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will allow H-4 dependent spouses of certain H-1B nonimmigrants...more
While many immigration practitioners wait anxiously for a resolution to the judicial challenges faced by DAPA and expanded DACA, others let out a sigh of relief at the announcement made today by U.S. Citizenship and...more