USCIS has officially announced the dates for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap lottery, which will open on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at noon ET and end on Friday, March 22, 2024, at noon ET. This annual lottery is meant to...more
2/15/2024
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Job Applicants ,
Lottery ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
It’s that time of the year again: the H-1B cap season is around the corner! On January 28, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the registration period for Fiscal Year 2023 will open at noon...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will delay the effective date of a rule issued two weeks prior to the end of the Trump administration that seeks to change how H-1B “specialty occupation” visa applications are...more
2/8/2021
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
Former President Trump’s administration made countless policy changes that have transformed the U.S. immigration landscape over the past four years. With President Biden now in office after running a presidential campaign...more
1/25/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-1 Visas ,
Muslims ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Travel Ban ,
Visas
In a much-anticipated decision, on December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of business and university plaintiffs (led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), setting aside...more
12/3/2020
/ Chamber of Commerce ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Foreign Workers ,
Good Cause ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Motion to Set Aside the Verdict ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
While the U.S. presidential election has come to an end, we continue to monitor changes in the Trump administration’s handling of ongoing agency immigration reforms through the end of 2020 and into early 2021 that may impact...more
11/24/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly announced a new initiative to share data and records on immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions and workers....more
8/6/2020
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Data-Sharing ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
PERM ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On August 3, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices with the Interests of American Workers, directing federal agencies to contract with those who prioritize the...more
In late 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would implement the registration process for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap. The H-1B visa is used by businesses that want to employ foreign...more
2/24/2020
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Deadlines ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Job Applicants ,
OPT ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On December 6, 2019, USCIS announced that it officially plans to implement the electronic H-1B registration process for petitioners seeking to submit H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2021....more
12/17/2019
/ Beneficiary Designations ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employee Mobility ,
Employer Identification Number (EIN) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Lottery ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Strategic Planning ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas ,
Work Permits
In an announcement on Thursday, May 16, 2019, President Trump unveiled an outline of his new legislative plan to modernize the nation’s immigration framework, promising to “establish a new legal immigration system that...more
Employers seeking to sponsor H-1B workers for fiscal year 2020 can begin filing petitions on April 1, 2019, for a start date of October 1, 2019. The H-1B visa is used by businesses that want to employ foreign nationals to...more
Employers seeking to sponsor H-1B workers for Fiscal Year 2019 can begin filing petitions on April 2, 2018 (April 1 is a Sunday), for a start date of October 1, 2018. ...more
2/9/2018
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed the "Buy American and Hire American" executive order (EO), which addresses H-IB visas. The EO calls for the application of existing U.S. laws to visa recipients and the revaluation...more
4/19/2017
/ Buy America ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On March 31, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum that provides new guidance regarding H-1B visas for computer-related positions. This document supersedes and rescinds a...more
On Friday, March 3, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective April 3, 2017, it will temporarily suspend premium processing for H-1B petitions. This suspension may last for...more
3/6/2017
/ Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-129 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
This article covers proposed legislation, sub-regulatory changes, and—from a practical standpoint—the process/timing for implementing changes under the new administration. Please note that while legislative immigration...more
2/22/2017
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
B-1 ,
Canada ,
Congressional Review Act ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
E-2 ,
E-Verify ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
National Security ,
National Security Agency (NSA) ,
OFCCP ,
OPT ,
Refugees ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Work Visas
On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order (the “Order”) entitled, Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States by Foreign Nationals. The Order suspends entry into the United...more
2/6/2017
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
J-1 Visas ,
Libya ,
OPT ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
STEM ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Terrorist Threats ,
TN-Visas ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Yemen
On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order (among others) titled: “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” (the “Order”). The Order purports to “suspend entry” of both...more
1/30/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Due Process ,
Equal Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Injunctions ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
L-1 Visas ,
Libya ,
Secretary of State ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
Employers that wish to sponsor H-1B workers for Fiscal Year 2018 can begin filing petitions on April 1, 2017, for a start date of October 1, 2017. The H-1B visa is used by businesses that wish to employ foreign nationals to...more
As we head into the final month before petitions for H-1B visas must be filed for Fiscal Year 2017, employers should keep the following information in mind:
FEIN Validation -
If an employer has not filed a labor...more
For the past decade, lawmakers have discussed immigration reform, but changes to U.S. immigration laws have been minimal. During the 2012 election campaign President Obama pledged to place immigration reform at the top of his...more
2/6/2013
/ ACHIEVE Act ,
DACA ,
Dream Act ,
E-Verify ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 ,
Immigration Reform ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
STEM ,
Visas