On March 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced that it is temporarily amending the Form I-9 verification and reverification procedures that require company representatives to physically review...more
The Coronavirus and Its Impact on U.S. Immigration -
In last month’s Alert, we provided notice of the Trump administration’s presidential proclamation that indefinitely barred foreign nationals (not U.S. citizens or...more
USCIS Officially Releases Regulations Regarding
Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool for the FY 2021 H-1B Cap -
On January 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) officially released regulations to...more
USCIS Announces Implementation of Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool -
After several months of vetting public commentary, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will roll out its H-1B electronic...more
12/19/2019
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Registration Requirement ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On March 19, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will accept premium processing requests (i.e., Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service) for fiscal year (“FY”) 2020 H-1B cap...more
Fiscal Year 2020 H-1B Cap Petition Filings Are Not Eligible for Premium Processing -
On March 12, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) opened premium processing eligibility for all H-1B petitions...more
On March 11, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will open premium processing for all H-1B petitions beginning March 12, 2019. As a result of this announcement, even H-1B petitions...more
USCIS Will Reinstate Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions Filed on December 21, 2018, or Earlier -
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) officially announced that it will resume accepting premium...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has officially announced that as of Monday, January 28, 2019, it will begin accepting premium processing for Fiscal Year 2019 H-1B Cap cases pending adjudication. These H-1B...more
Partial Federal Government Shutdown and How It Applies to an Immigration Workforce -
On December 22, 2018, the United States government began its shutdown based on the inability of the Executive Office and Congress to...more
1/25/2019
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Federal Budget ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
PERM ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
USCIS Proposes New Registration Requirement to File H-1B Cap Petitions for Fiscal Year 2020 and Reverses Order of H-1B Cap Lottery -
On December 3, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USICS”) proposed new...more
USCIS Begins Implementing Notices to Appear for Denied Petitions and Applications -
As of October 1, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has begun issuing Notices to Appear (“NTA”) in accordance with...more
10/4/2018
/ Corporate Counsel ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Notice to Appear ,
OPT ,
Processing Fees ,
STEM ,
Students ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On August 28, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it would suspend premium processing for most H-1B petitions filed (i.e., petitions that USCIS receives) on or after September 11, 2018,...more
I. USCIS Delays Implementation of New “Notice to Appear” Policy Memo -
On June 28, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published a policy memo updating the guidelines to allow USCIS officers to issue...more
Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it had (i) reached the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B cap for fiscal year 2019...more
The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) recently updated its Foreign Affairs Manual (“FAM”) guidance regarding what the agency perceives as “willful misrepresentations.” The guidance revises what was previously known as the...more
USCIS Anticipates Resuming H-1B Premium Processing on October 3, 2017 -
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has advised the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) that it anticipates resuming...more
President Trump Notifies Congress of Intent to Renegotiate NAFTA -
On May 18, 2017, President Trump officially notified Congress of the administration’s intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement...more
6/2/2017
/ Conrad 30 Waiver ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
F-1 Visa ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Joint Employers ,
Mobile Devices ,
NAFTA ,
Popular ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
TN-Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
This past week, the Trump administration issued three executive orders (“EOs”) on immigration. Certain provisions of these EOs may immediately impact the immigration programs of, and foreign nationals (“FNs”) working for, our...more
I. USCIS Issues Guidance on When an Amended H-1B Petition Is Required After Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC -
On July 21, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released a policy memorandum...more
8/17/2015
/ Classification ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EB-5 ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Contractor ,
Misclassification ,
OCAHO ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Waivers
On August 12, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rendered its decision in Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Civil Action No. 14-529 (D.D.C. Aug. 12,...more
I. Premium Processing Option for H-1B Extensions Is Temporarily Suspended -
On May 19, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will temporarily suspend 15-day premium processing...more
Happy New Year!!!
All of us in the Immigration Law Group at Epstein Becker Green wish you the very best for a healthy and prosperous 2015. We hope that all your petitions and applications are approved and that...more
1/19/2015
/ Barack Obama ,
Executive Orders ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
OPT ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas