As hospitals and medical centers continue to face enormous challenges in staffing, employers are looking for alternatives to meet these seemingly unfillable positions. The high demand for foreign nurses has contributed to a...more
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) announced that the legacy iCERT system for the preparation and submission of labor certification applications will be fully decommissioned on...more
The Final Rule published by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjusting certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees went into effect on April 1, 2024. This Final Rule included the...more
USCIS published a final rule (the Final Rule) on January 31, 2024, increasing certain filing fees that went into effect on April 1, 2024....more
On 30 January 2024, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule (Final Rule) increasing the premium processing fee from US$2,500 to US$2,805, increasing filing fees for I-129 and I-140...more
On January 30, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an increase to its filing fees across the board. The last such increase was in 2016. This change will be effective April 1, 2024. In some cases,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective April 1, USCIS will implement significant filing fee increases, in particular for petition and applications related to employment-based benefits....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS has issued new guidance to define the extent of an employer’s financial obligation in employment-based green card applications where the sponsored employee has changed...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that it is considering expanding the list of predetermined occupations for Schedule A Designation petitions. DOL is requesting comments on broadening the list of occupations to...more
On December 27, 2023, USCIS announced it will increase the premium processing government fee to $2,805. Currently, the premium processing fee is $2,500, so it is an increase of $305. The new fee will go into effect...more
On June 1, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) officially transitioned its online PERM labor certification filings from its legacy PERM portal to the FLAG System. In addition to announcing the PERM system transition, the DOL...more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed the submission requirements for the new Form 9089 Application for Permanent Employment Certification, specifically for Schedule A and National...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has expanded premium processing to certain I-140 petitions, and premium processing of certain I-765 and I-539 applications is expected to be in place this spring....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced several important changes this week: expansion of premium processing for several employment-based categories; resumption of concurrent processing of spousal...more
Beginning January 30, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers E-13 (EB-1C) multinational...more
On January 30, 2023, USCIS will begin accepting some additional premium processing requests pursuant to its expansion of this program. Under this latest expansion, announced by USCIS on January 12, 2023, certain...more
Beginning Jan. 30, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept I-907 Premium Processing requests for all new and pending EB-1 Multinational Executive and Manager I-140 petitions and EB-2 National Interest...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will continue to roll out and finalize its expansion of premium processing eligibility for certain petitions and applications throughout the first half of...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) further expanded premium processing for Form I-140, Immigrant Petitions for Alien Workers, marking the final phase of implementing premium processing for employment-based...more
On January 12, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced implementation of the final phase of premium processing expansion for employment-based first and second preference I-140 petitions. Beginning on...more
Earlier this year, federal immigration officials announced concrete measures to reduce the massive backlog of petitions and applications currently pending at the agency’s National Service Centers – but has this promise been...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has further expanded premium processing eligibility to include more Form I-140, Immigrant Petitions for Alien Workers, under the EB-1 and EB-2 classifications, consistent...more
October 1, 2023 marked the start of the federal government’s fiscal year 2023 (FY 2023), with the Department of State (DOS) October Visa Bulletin taking effect the same day. What is sure to be disappointing to many is the...more
On September 15, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had begun implementing the next phase of the premium processing expansion for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140 under...more
On September 15, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be implementing the next phase of the premium processing expansion for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140...more