GENERAL -
What are the current Executive Orders on immigration?
On its first day in office, the Trump administration published 46 executive orders dealing with a broad range of issues, several of which were aimed...more
2/11/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
H-4 ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Reform ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On January 20, 2025, President Trump was inaugurated for his second term and in alignment with his “Day One” campaign promises, he signed ten executive orders that support his immigration agenda. These executive orders touch...more
1/30/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
Asylum ,
Citizenship ,
Compliance ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Executive Orders ,
Gender Identity ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Vetting ,
Visas
The registration period for H-1B cap-subject petitions is approaching! As a reminder, the annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000, with an additional 20,000 numbers available for individuals who have earned an advanced degree from...more
1/15/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The registration period for H-1B cap-subject petitions is approaching! As a reminder, the annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000, with an additional 20,000 numbers available for individuals who have earned an advanced degree from...more
As many Employers and Foreign Nationals are likely aware, the H-1B CAP Season for USCIS 2024 Fiscal Year rapidly approaches. On Friday USICS announced it will open H-1B CAP registration at noon (12PM ET) on March 1, 2023, and...more
In response to a Lawsuit (Edakunni v. Mayorkas) filed on behalf of Spouses of H-1B and L-1 Visa Holders, USCIS has reached a settlement agreement which it will implement effective today, January 25, 2023....more
1/26/2023
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-129 ,
H-4 ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Immigration ,
L-2 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Settlement Agreements ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On July 6, 2021, the Department of State (DOS) issued guidance stating that national interest exceptions (NIEs) issued in the last 12 months are being automatically extended for 12 months from the date of approval, and for...more
7/9/2021
/ Brazil ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Immigration Procedures ,
India ,
Iran ,
Ireland ,
National Interest Waiver ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
South Africa ,
Time Extensions ,
Travel Ban ,
UK ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Due to recent changes in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, F-1 students currently participating in the STEM OPT extension are eligible to apply for an additional 7-months of work authorization. The deadline to...more
On April 12, 2016, USCIS announced that it conducted the "H-1B lottery" and completed its selection process for petitions to meet the FY2017 H-1B cap.
USCIS used a computer-generated random selection process to select...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory caps for fiscal year 2017. Based on the number of petitions received, USCIS...more
On April 1, 2016, USCIS will begin accepting cap subject H-1B visa petitions for a start date of October 1, 2016. Due to the high demand for H-1B visas, we encourage employers to identify any employees who may require initial...more
USCIS has issued a final guidance memorandum in regards to the precedent AAO decision in the Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC. Per the Simeio decision, an amended H-1B petition must filed with USCIS when there is a material...more
Following the precedent decision issued on April 9, 2015 by the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) in Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC employers must now be more cognizant than ever before of the requirements when...more
Effective on May 26, 2015, certain dependent spouses of H-1B workers will be eligible for employment authorization. Specifically, H-4 spouses will be eligible for this new benefit provided their H-1B nonimmigrant worker...more
On April 13, 2015, USCIS conducted the computer-generated random selection process (aka “H-1B lottery”) and selected petitions to meet the 65,000 general-category cap and the 20,000 cap under the advanced degree exemption....more
On April 7, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it had received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year 2016. USCIS has also received more than the limit...more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) will accept cap-subject H-1B Petitions on April 1st, 2015 for start dates of October 1st, 2015 or later. ...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that effective on May 26, 2015, certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants will be eligible for employment authorization. DHS will focus on employment...more
In preparation of the upcoming filing period for H-1B visa petitions for the Fiscal Year of 2016 we at Moore & Van Allen are sending this update to remind you of this upcoming event....more
On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced new executive actions on immigration. While the details of many of these actions have yet to be determined and some action will require regulatory change, there are potentially...more
11/25/2014
/ Barack Obama ,
DACA ,
DAPA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Deportation ,
Executive Orders ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
STEM ,
USCIS
Over the past three years, the L-1 Intracompany Transferee visa category has come under higher scrutiny from USCIS. Petitions for both L-1A Executive/Manager and L-1B Specialized Knowledge classifications continue to be...more
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed to provide work authorization benefits to spouses of H-1B visa holders. If this proposal is put into effect it will allow dependents to apply for an EAD, or an Employment...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that 172,500 H-1B petitions were received during the filing period which began April 1, 2014. This number includes petitions filed under the advanced degree...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap for fiscal year (FY) 2015. USCIS has also received more than the limit of...more
As of April 1, 2014, USCIS will allow petitioners to submit cap subject H-1B visa petitions; these are petitions for foreign nationals who are not currently in H-1B status such as recently graduated F-1 students or workers...more