USCIS has issued guidance stating that the expiration dates for Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will revert to those in place on Jan. 17, 2025, when former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro...more
On March 12, 2025, USCIS issued an Interim Final Regulation (IFR) designating a new registration form to comply with statutory alien registration and fingerprinting provisions. The IFR goes into effect on April 11, 2025....more
USCIS issued a grace period on March 8, 2025, for the dozen updated immigration forms it released in February and March 2025 and made effective immediately. These forms include the N-400 for naturalization, I-485 for...more
Announced in a Federal Register notice published Feb. 5, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem decided not to extend the 2023 Venezuela Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. That designation will expire April 7, 2025....more
2/12/2025
/ Compliance ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Register ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS ,
Venezuela ,
Visas
Announced in a Federal Register notice published Feb. 5, 2025, Secretary Kristi Noem decided not to extend the 2023 Venezuela TPS designation. That designation will expire April 7, 2025. DHS Secretary Noem announced on Jan....more
2/6/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employees ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS ,
Venezuela ,
Visas
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Jan. 29, 2025, that she is vacating former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Jan. 17, 2025, redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela for an additional 18 months....more
As many expected, President Donald Trump has not only issued Executive Orders (EOs), but he has also rescinded many EOs issued by the Biden Administration concerning immigration, including the following: “The Restoring Faith...more
1/24/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Compliance ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Donald Trump ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Rescission ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
President Joe Biden is extending Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for 24 months through Feb. 5, 2027, for any Hong Kong resident (regardless of country of birth) currently living in the United States....more
1/16/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Compliance ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Departure Orders ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hong Kong ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On Dec. 18, 2024, USCIS released the Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers Final Rule. First proposed in October 2023, the Biden...more
USCIS has updated the Aug. 1, 2023, edition of its Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, solely to extend the expiration date from July 31, 2026, to May 31, 2027. What should employers do?
•Employers must be using...more
USCIS has released the new Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The new form must be used to file starting June 3, 2024. Among the form’s various changes, two are particularly notable:
1. Social Security Update:...more
Many USCIS filing fees are being adjusted upward beginning on April 1, 2024. That date, of course, is particularly significant. It is the earliest date that Cap H-1Bs can be filed.
The H-1B filing fee, for example, will rise...more
USCIS has published a proposed rule that, once implemented, would significantly reform and modernize the H-1B Program. The Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements...more
By September 30, 2023, Congress will again have to fund the government. Despite ongoing efforts by the administration and Congress, indications are that a shutdown may occur at the beginning of the fiscal year, on October 1....more
Proper completion of the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 is one of the most important responsibilities of employers, including retailers, at the beginning of the hiring process. Saying it learned from the...more
8/8/2023
/ E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Required Forms ,
USCIS
DHS has today, July 25, 2023, published a new Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Form. USCIS has made significant changes to the form and its instructions, including a checkbox to indicate that an employee’s Form I-9...more
On July 21, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule, which will be officially published on July 25, 2023, that will provide eligible employers filling out the Employment Eligibility Verification...more
7/24/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Required Forms ,
USCIS
Lawful permanent residents may receive temporary evidence of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status by mail, rather than physically visiting a field office, USCIS has announced.
LPRs eligible for delivery of temporary...more
USCIS has proposed raising its filing fees – and the burden of those increased fees will fall primarily on employers large and small. For example, the filing fee for an H-1B visa would be raised by 70% from $460 to $780....more
The H-1B cap season for Fiscal Year 2024 is fast approaching. USCIS announced on January 27th that cap registration begins on March 1st. Employers should assess their hiring needs and determine if they will sponsor foreign...more
In continuing its efforts to deal with processing backlogs, USCIS is allowing longer automatic extensions of green cards for lawful permanent residents who have applied for naturalization....more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue Form I-9 flexibility for another nine months until July 31, 2023, according to an announcement. DHS guidance remains the same. Employees who, due to COVID-19 policies,...more
Due to long processing delays, USCIS is extending the validity of green cards for 24 months for legal permanent residents who have filed a Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Residence Card. USCIS is doing this in...more
Announcing a new final rule, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is officially reinstating the 2020 asylum rules in light of the court decision that said they were invalid....more
For H-1B visas, employers have been hoping there will be another round of selections for FY 2023, but that is not on the horizon.
USCIS has been sending non-selection notices to registrants’ online accounts. USCIS can...more