U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continues to monitor the Coronavirus outbreak. The Nelson Mullins immigration team of attorneys has assembled some of the key developments so far. 

New DHS guideline on Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification 

• Until May 19, 2020 or within 3 business days after the termination of the COVID-19 National Emergency , whichever comes first, administration of Form I-9 has some flexibility on the physical verification requirement. 
  • Employers can virtually inspect the eligibility documents (video, fax or email);
  • Once normal operation resumes, obtain, inspect, and retain copies the documents within 3 days of returning to normal operation;
  • Annotate on the “Additional Information Field” on Sections 2 or 3 of Form I-9 with “documents physically examined” and add date of inspection.

H-1B CAP REGISTRATION:

• The initial H-1B CAP Lottery registration for the fiscal year 2021 has closed on March 20. 
• USCIS will randomly select the number of registrations that are needed to reach the FY 2021 H-1B numerical allocations and send selection notifications via users’ online accounts by March 31, 2020, that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition.
• An H-1B CAP case selected for filing must be properly filed  within 90 days.

BORDER CLOSINGS

• Land ports from Canada into the US closed until 11:59 PM EDT April 20, 2020.
• Talks on Mexican border travel restrictions are also ongoing.

SUSPENSION OF ROUTINE VISA SERVICES

• All routine visa interviews are canceled in most countries as of March 18, 2020.
• Check the website of the embassy or consulate for its current operating status.
• As resources allow, embassies and consulates will continue to provide urgent and emergency visa services, including urgent E-1/E-2 cases.
• For more information click here. 

GLOBAL LEVEL 4 TRAVEL ADVISORY

• The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel. In countries where commercial departure options remain available, U.S. citizens who live in the United States should arrange for immediate return to the United States, unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period. U.S. citizens who live abroad should avoid all international travel. Many countries are implementing travel restrictions and mandatory quarantines, closing borders, and prohibiting non-citizens from entry with little advance notice. Airlines have cancelled many international flights and several cruise operators have suspended operations or cancelled trips. If you choose to travel internationally, your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite timeframe.
• For more information click here. 

PREMIUM PROCESSING SUSPENDED

• Effective March 20, 2020, USCIS will not accept any new requests for premium processing. USCIS will process any petition with a previously accepted Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, in accordance with the premium processing service criteria. However, they will not be able to send notices using pre-paid envelopes. They will only send batch-printed notices. Petitioners who have already filed a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, or Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, using the premium processing service and who receive no agency action on their case within the 15-calendar-day period will receive a refund. 
• USCIS will notify the public with a confirmed date for resuming premium processing. 

ORIGINAL SIGNATURES NOT REQUIRED

• USCIS announced that it will not require original signatures but will accept reproductions for submissions dated March 21, 2020, and beyond.