The United States continues to be a magnet for international students, especially in science and engineering graduate programs, but its dominance is no longer a given. According to a new report from the Association of...more
USCIS announced on Mar. 31, 2025, that it has completed the initial selection process for H-1B visa cap-subject petitions for fiscal year 2026. The statutory cap is 65,000 H-1B visas (regular cap), with an additional 20,000...more
After quietly updating consular websites, signaling a significant change to Visa Interview Waiver (“dropbox”) eligibility requirements, on Feb. 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) officially announced the reversion to...more
The U.S. Department of State has unexpectedly updated Consular websites with revised eligibility requirements for Visa Interview Waiver (“dropbox”) appointments. Effective immediately, dropbox eligibility is limited to...more
Skilled immigration is making headlines with renewed focus on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program, the most popular employment-based visa for foreign professional workers. Recent statements by Trump advisors Elon Musk and...more
1/16/2025
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Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Labor Laws ,
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Prevailing Wages ,
STEM ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The increasing need for talented workers in the United States has more and more employers considering eliminating bachelor’s degree requirements from job descriptions. A recognition of the value of skills and experience over...more
The nation’s semiconductor chip shortage has far-reaching implications for industries ranging from consumer electronics to national security. The Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act (CHIPS...more
12/20/2023
/ Affirmative Action ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Foreign Workers ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
SCOTUS ,
Semiconductors ,
STEM ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Title VII ,
Visas
As demand for talent surges in the fast-growing life sciences industry, U.S. employers continue to face challenges in their search for immigration options to retain their high-skilled foreign workers....more
USCIS announced it has completed the annual H-1B selection process (“lottery”) for Fiscal Year 2024, with early reports indicating a record number of registrations submitted. Each year, it becomes increasingly difficult to...more
In a settlement agreement signed on January 19, 2023, USCIS agreed to “bundle” the adjudication of dependent applicants’ Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment...more
Voters in Massachusetts may be asked whether to repeal state law granting standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in November.
In February 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives...more
Massachusetts is on its way to joining 16 other states that grant driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants.
On February 16, 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed The Work and Family Mobility Act by...more
The PERM Labor Certification Process (PERM) has been used since 2005 by U.S. employers to sponsor foreign national employees for Lawful Permanent Residence, also known as “green cards.” Through the PERM process, employers are...more
Citing the need to adequately assess their potential impact, the Biden Administration seeks to delay, or reverse, in some cases, a triumvirate of rules issued by the previous administration aimed to dramatically change the...more
With the H-1B cap season about to begin, there is good news for computer programmers and those who employ them. USCIS announced the immediate rescission of a 2017 guidance memo that had raised questions about whether computer...more
A recent non-binding report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the appointments of Kevin McAleenan and Chad Wolf (both as “acting” DHS Secretaries) and Ken Cuccinelli (senior official performing the duties of...more
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency with more than 60,000 employees, now shares status with the likes of the FBI and the Secret Service.
CBP is designated as a “security agency,” according to a CBP staff...more
U.S. firefighters coming to help extinguish the devastating forest fires were cheered when they arrived at the airport in Sydney, Australia. In the past, in what became a reciprocal arrangement, Australian firefighters have...more
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cancelled an incoming Harvard freshman’s visa and deported him back to Lebanon eight hours after arriving at Boston’s Logan International Airport to start his college career. CBP detained...more
In response to the depletion of numeric-only numbers for Form I-94 arrival/departure records, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began to use alphanumeric “numbers” (i.e., composed of letters and numbers) in May 2019....more
Traveling to the U.S. to give birth to a U.S.-citizen child, or birth tourism, is not a new industry. In January 2018, DHS raided 20 “maternity hotels” in Los Angeles suspected of housing “birth tourism” operations. A...more
Beginning September 11, 2018, USCIS immigration officers will have more discretion to issue petition and application denials without first issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs).
On...more
News outlet Reuters has reported that during the first month of Travel Ban 3.0, 8,400 individuals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Venezuela applied for visas, while only an estimated 100...more