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Bill To Eliminate Per-Country Caps On Green Cards Re-Introduced

Prior to the government shutdown, it seemed that the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act might pass as an amendment to the spending package with strong bipartisan support. But that was not to be. Now members of the U.S....more

USCIS Ends Humanitarian Parole Program For Commonwealth Of The Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)

USCIS announced that, effective immediately, it is terminating yet another humanitarian parole program. This one is for individuals living in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). ...more

U.S. May Eliminate Per-Country Caps On Employment Visas

A potentially significant bill eliminating the per-country caps on employment-based visas may become law. H.R. 392, Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, first introduced in 2017, had 300 co-sponsors. It is now...more

Department Of Homeland Security Fall 2018 Agenda Portends Big Changes For H-1B Visa, Other Programs

The Department of Homeland Security’s latest Regulatory Agenda promises some big changes, especially for the H-1B visa program. Many of these changes have been proposed before, but have not yet made it to the rulemaking...more

Diversity Lottery Registration To Open

USCIS has announced that the 2020 Diversity Lottery will open for registration at noon EST on October 3, 2018 and run until noon EST on November 6, 2018. Fifty thousand green cards will be available....more

USCIS Raises Premium Processing Fee: Effective October 1, 2018

On October 1, 2018 the premium processing fee for all Forms I-129 (Non-Immigrant Worker) and Forms I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) will be raised from $1,225 to $1,410. USCIS announced this almost 15% increase on...more

Trump Administration Largely Phasing Out TPS, But Legal Challenges Are Ongoing

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) may be an endangered species. Having terminated TPS for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the past year, the Trump Administration has turned its attention elsewhere. There are...more

TN Visa Program Subject To Higher Scrutiny, Possible Limits

It has been reported that the Trump administration is working toward limiting the number of TN visas. Based on the precepts of the Buy American, Hire American executive order, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has...more

Major Change In USCIS Policy On Accrued Unlawful Presence Likely To Impact F, M And J Status Holders

USCIS has posted a policy memorandum that will radically change current policy for students and exchange visitors. The policy makes it much more likely that those in F, M or J status will find themselves accruing unlawful...more

Temporary Protected Status For Honduras To End In January 2020

In a not unexpected move, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen M. Nielsen, announced on May 4, 2018 that Temporary Protected Status would terminate for Honduras on January 5, 2020. This will give the approximately...more

Update On Deferred Enforced Departure For Liberians

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians will terminate on March 31, 2019. USCIS has now published filing instructions in the Federal Register for those Liberians affected who wish to extend their employment...more

Deferred Enforced Departure For Liberians To End

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Liberians, a humanitarian relief program similar to TPS (Temporary Protected Status), will terminate on March 31, 2019 according to a formal memo released by President Donald Trump....more

USCIS Suspends Premium Processing Service For Cap-Subject H-1B Cases

USCIS has once again announced the temporary suspension of the Premium Processing service for all cap-subject H-1B cases, including “Master’s Cap” cases. The suspension is expected to last until September 10, 2018, but...more

Update: USCIS Denies Creating An Oversight Division

As we recently noted, the Washington Post reported that USCIS was creating an employee oversight division to monitor staff who might be perceived as too lenient in their adjudications of requested immigration benefits....more

Report: New Internal Oversight Division Within USCIS To Be Established

The Washington Post has reported that USCIS is establishing an internal oversight division. The new division’s purpose, in part, would be to monitor more closely officers who are too lenient in assessing applications for...more

Update On H-4 EAD Rule Rescission

Following up on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Order of February 21, 2018, DHS has requested still more time to review the H-4 EAD Rule. In a status report filed on February 28, 2018, just a week after the...more

Department Of Homeland Security To Tighten H-1B And Other Regulations

The Trump Administration’s Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions for the DHS contains close to 60 items. Published in the spring and fall, the Unified Agenda gives information about regulations that...more

House Bill To Add Obligations For Employers Dependent On H-1B Visas Moves Forward

A bi-partisan House panel has approved the “Protect and Grow American Jobs Act,” a bill that would change eligibility requirements for exemption from the standard Labor Condition Application (LCA) requirement for...more

USCIS Formalizes Policy On Lack Of Deference To Previously Approved Petitions

All I-129 petitions, whether initial requests or requests for extension of visa status, will be subject to the same level of scrutiny, USCIS has confirmed. The agency will no longer defer to the findings of a previously...more

Third Travel Ban Blocked by Court

On the eve of its taking effect, President Donald Trump’s third attempt at a travel ban has been blocked by the District Court in Hawaii. On October 17, 2017, Judge Derrick Watson granted a nationwide temporary restraining...more

Update: The Diversity Lottery Will Restart Following Resolution Of Technical Issue

We previously reported on the Department of State’s acceptance of applications for the diversity immigrant lottery. Since then, the DOS has announced on the Diversity Lottery website:-...more

Trump Administration Considers Elimination Of J-1 Program For Some Students

The Trump Administration is considering the elimination of the J-1 Summer Work-Travel Program for students who come to tourist areas in the U.S. as temporary summer help and as participants in cultural exchanges. Like the...more

Pending: Bipartisan Legislation to Extend the Conrad 30 Program for J-1 Waiver Physicians

When President Donald Trump issued his “Travel Ban,” there were fears that the physician shortage in the U.S. would be exacerbated. It has been reported that there is currently a deficit of 8,200 primary care physicians that...more

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