Demystifying Immigration Law
The Latest on E-2 Visa with Citizenship-by-Investment
Law Brief: H-1B Visas – New Process and New (Upcoming) Deadlines
Employment Visa Restrictions: Past, Present, and Future by Sang Shin
Update from Washington: Employer's Preview of Immigration Restrictions from the Administration
USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) announced on March 31, 2025, that the agency has completed selections regarding the regular and advanced degree selections in its annual H-1B Lottery. The H-1B cap of 85,000...more
The ever-changing landscape of employment-based immigration continues to pose challenges for U.S. employers. With increased scrutiny on foreign national workers, compliance audits, and evolving nonimmigrant visa policies,...more
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to designate a foreign state for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is a temporary immigration benefit, and...more
The 2025 H-1B cap registration period will begin at 12 p.m. Eastern time on March 7, 2025, and will conclude at 12 p.m. Eastern on March 24, 2025. Prospective petitioners are required to register each beneficiary online and...more
The U.S. Department of State has unexpectedly updated Consular websites with revised eligibility requirements for Visa Interview Waiver (“dropbox”) appointments. Effective immediately, dropbox eligibility is limited to...more
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
H-1B Registrations for the FY2026 cap season will open at noon ET on March 7, 2025, and run through noon ET on March 24, 2025. The USCIS filing fee is $215 per registration this year (a significant increase from $10)....more
It is that time of year again! The registration window for the fiscal year 2026 cap H-1B season will open at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and run through noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During the registration period,...more
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued a series of executive orders that imposed significant reforms to the immigration system, many of which may or will have an impact on employment-based visas. The following is a...more
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued more than 45 Executive Orders, many of which contain directives related to immigration. The immigration team at Nilan Johnson Lewis will be monitoring updates related...more
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new regulation to “modernize” the H‑1B program, a visa category commonly used by US employers to hire skilled foreign workers. The new regulation takes effect on...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a final rule aimed at modernizing the H-1B nonimmigrant worker visa program, with significant and favorable changes set to take effect on January 17, 2025. These...more
Our Immigration Team breaks down the many changes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is implementing for the H-1B and F-1 visa programs just ahead of a change in Administrations....more
On Dec. 18, 2024, USCIS released the Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in the F-1 Program, and Program Improvements Affecting Other Nonimmigrant Workers Final Rule. First proposed in October 2023, the Biden...more
On December 17, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the final implementation of the long-anticipated H-1B modernization rule. This rule, titled “Modernizing H-1B Requirements, Providing Flexibility in...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final rule with key updates to the H-1B specialty occupation nonimmigrant visa program. The final rule is aimed at modernizing the H-1B program by improving efficiency...more
Previously published in Healthcare News and Healthcare Michigan. A recent commentary offers a stark glimpse into future healthcare demands (Harris & Marshall, 2024). During the first two years of the pandemic, the U.S....more
On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had selected sufficient H-1B visa preregistrations to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 regular H-1B cap (bachelor’s degree cap)...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
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday key changes to the H-1B lottery for Fiscal Year 2025, including a beneficiary-centric selection process for H–1B registrations; start-date flexibility for certain...more
The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule Jan. 31 adjusting the filing fees for applications for immigration benefits submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For most application types...more
USCIS published its Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process and Program Integrity final rule on Feb. 2, 2024. The new final rule has three basic categories: creating a beneficiary-centric selection process,...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced plans to introduce organizational accounts for H-1B fiscal year (FY) 2025 cap filings, H-1B non-cap filings, and associated premium processing requests on...more
USCIS previously deferred its proposed filing fee increase until early 2024 – and the increase might be coming out very soon! This increase will come on top of the increased premium processing fees that will go into effect on...more
On December 13, 2023, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it reached the requisite number of H-1B Cap petitions and stopped making further selections for Fiscal Year 2024. Fiscal...more