On December 18, 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security published its final rule to overhaul several aspects of the H-1B visa program. This final rule, which takes effect 30 days after publication, is...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) entitled, “Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“CIS”) is once again requiring employers that want to sponsor a worker for an H-1B visa - which is awarded to employees who possess highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s or...more
Employers seeking to sponsor candidates for initial H-1B sponsorship should note that the H-1B electronic registration dates have been announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS has announced that...more
Employers seeking to sponsor candidates for initial H-1B sponsorship (commonly known as "H-1B CAP") should begin preparing for the H-1B electronic registration process. Although the U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services...more
On January 31, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule making significant changes to the H-1B CAP lottery process. This rule added an electronic registration requirement for employers...more
Burnt into the psyche of all who have participated in the H-1 cap process was the April 1 deadline to file petitions. However, if the new USCIS protocol is implemented (and it seems that it is happening) April 1 will no...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept new H-1B petitions subject to the annual quota for fiscal year 2021 (FY2021) in early 2020 with a new preregistration system being implemented starting March 1,...more
On December 6, 2019, USCIS announced that it officially plans to implement the electronic H-1B registration process for petitioners seeking to submit H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2021....more
On July 10, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2019, by a vote of 365 to 65. The bill is intended to reduce lengthy immigrant visa (green card) wait times...more
The Immigration and Nationality Act and H-1B regulations require employers to notify their U.S. employees of their intent to hire H-1B nonimmigrant workers in connection with filing an H-1B Labor Condition Application....more
• DHS has announced that it has finalized the previously proposed rule governing the H-1B lottery. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on January 31, 2019. • DHS will reverse the order of the H-1B lottery...more
The H-1B program allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. H-1B specialty occupations are positions that require the theoretical and practical application of a body...more
In early January, the Burr & Forman, LLP immigration team outlined a major change to the H-1B visa lottery system proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) (DHS Proposes Major Lottery Changes Ahead of H-1B...more
The federal government just published its final rule amending the regulations that will govern petitions filed under the H-1B work visa lottery. Although the final rule is effective April 1, 2019, the Department of Homeland...more
Every year, U.S. employers seeking highly skilled foreign professionals submit their petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with the hope of receiving an H-1B number. Since 1990, Congress has limited...more
We are in the final weeks of H-1B Cap Season for Fiscal Year 2019. All H-1B petitions must be submitted with a Labor Condition Application (LCA) which can take seven (7) days or more for the Department of Labor (DOL) to...more
Employers seeking to sponsor H-1B workers for Fiscal Year 2019 can begin filing petitions on April 2, 2018 (April 1 is a Sunday), for a start date of October 1, 2018. ...more
The beginning of the calendar year is the perfect time for employers to begin planning for the FY2019 H-1B cap filing season, which will begin on Monday, April 2, 2018....more
Employers must initiate new H-1B Cap cases with their lawyers, and a filing with the Department of Labor is required before the H-1B petition can be filed with USCIS. So, time is running out if employers want to ensure that...more
With the Trump Administration taking office, it is expected that changes to immigration policies will be carried out swiftly and, to a large extent, in an unapologetically straightforward manner. While the initial public...more
On April 3, 2017, the filing period will begin for new H-1B petitions to be counted against the annual H-1B quota (H-1B cap) for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2017. We strongly encourage employers to begin determining...more
On April 1, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting new H-1B petitions for professional positions. We note that these petitions will have a start date of October 1, 2017....more
As we head into the final month before petitions for H-1B visas must be filed for Fiscal Year 2017, employers should keep the following information in mind: FEIN Validation - If an employer has not filed a labor...more
The federal government’s H-1B visa program helps U.S. employers deal with the shortage of qualified candidates for skilled positions by allowing employers to employ foreign national workers in a "specialty occupation” – that...more