Last Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a significantly revised Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This application is used to change or extend the status of dependents...more
USCIS to Implement a Registration System for H-1B Cap Filings On Monday, Dec. 3, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposed regulatory rule to establish an electronic registration program for...more
12/5/2018
/ Comment Period ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 Visas ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On April 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting new H-1B petitions for professional positions. We note that these petitions will have a start date of Oct. 1, 2019....more
Earlier this week, the U.S., Canada and Mexico reached agreement on a new trilateral trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement will be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada...more
10/3/2018
/ Canada ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Workers ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
Trade Relations ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
Work Visas
The Department of State has announced the opening of the registration period for the 2020 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. As in past years, the DV lottery will allow a maximum of 50,000 "diversity immigrants"...more
USCIS Extends and Expands Suspension of H-1B Premium Processing -
Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will extend the suspension of Premium Processing for all pending FY...more
8/30/2018
/ F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
As explained below, we advise that a company may not have STEM OPT individuals at its work site unless it is a direct employer that is part of the e-Verify program. ...more
On March 20, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) did an about-face and announced that beginning on April 2 it will suspend Premium Processing of all fiscal year (FY) 2019 H-1B cap filings. This comes after prior...more
3/22/2018
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Here is what we know so far about how this past weekend’s federal government “shutdown” will affect immigration adjudications and other related matters. As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) operations are...more
1/22/2018
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
EB-5 ,
EB-5 Regional Centers ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Federal Budget ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Passports ,
PERM ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On April 2, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting new H-1B petitions for professional positions. We note that these petitions will have a start date of Oct. 1, 2018....more
1/17/2018
/ E-3 ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas