As we approach the H-1B cap season for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, it is crucial for employers to understand the process, adhere to deadlines, and be aware of recent changes, particularly regarding fees. This advisory provides an...more
Introduction: The United States has long been a beacon for immigrants, and the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants has led the U.S. to be at the forefront of groundbreaking innovations in business, science, education,...more
The F-1 nonimmigrant visa status allows noncitizens to study in the United States at U.S. colleges and universities. F-1 students may be eligible for off-campus employment under the following programs: Curricular Practical...more
Most U.S. employers and workers have heard of E-Verify, but what is it? More critically, is it required for your manufacturing business? E-Verify is a free internet-based program, run by U.S. Citizenship and...more
A lawsuit filed on August 10, 2023 against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleges that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 702, by exceeding its authority and determining that a...more
On July 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated the STEM Designated Degree Program List by adding eight new qualifying fields of study. The Program List is generally used to determine whether a degree...more
On March 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the FY2024 H-1B cap lottery was complete. The results: a historically low selection rate—with many multinational companies reporting that...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its continued efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing for...more
With a shortage of workers in many sectors of the U.S. professional labor market, employers continue to seek qualified candidates among the non-U.S.-citizen population, including recent graduates of U.S. colleges. ...more
Employers who recently hired F-1 foreign students and wish to continue to employ them beyond the one or three years of Optional Practical Training employment authorization should contact immigration counsel and start making a...more
On January 27, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B lottery will open on March 1, 2023 at noon EST and close on March 17,...more
The H-1B lottery for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 was conducted in March 2022. USCIS received 483,927 H-1B registrations and initially selected 127,600 registrations, which is the projected amount needed to reach the FY2023...more
An accounting firm hires a new graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree from a local university for its audit team. This new graduate is a foreign student utilizing the one-year Optional Practical Training...more
US Citizenship & Immigration Service announced that it will accept initial applications for first time H-1B visa petitions from March 1, 2022 until March 18, 2022. An H-1B visa allows an employer to employ a foreign national...more
On March 30, 2021, USCIS announced completion of the initial FY2022 H-1B Cap-Subject lottery selection process. Beginning April 1st, those selected were eligible to start filing. But what if your employee was not selected? ...more
The USCIS is modernizing its processes and moving towards electronic filing for student work documents. On April 12, 2021, USCIS announced that it will begin accepting Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization...more
Registration Dates Announced and Rule Prioritizing Selection of Highest Wage-Level Delayed - On February 5, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the...more
On Friday, February 5, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the FY2022 H-1B Cap Lottery will begin on March 9, 2021. ...more
The Trump Administration has talked about reforming the F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for years. It first appeared on the 2017 DHS Regulatory Agenda as a proposed new rule. The stated purpose of the rule was...more
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing - USCIS has announced here that beginning the month of June 2020, it will again start accepting certain petitions for premium processing. Premium processing was indefinitely suspended as...more
Seyfarth Blog Synopsis: In today’s posting we discuss the impact that furloughs and layoffs may have on F-1 student workers and related employer obligations....more
As employers prepare plans to handle possible alternate employee work arrangements in light of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak, it is important to keep in mind how these plans and policies—including telework policies—may...more
In late 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would implement the registration process for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap. The H-1B visa is used by businesses that want to employ foreign...more
As we previously advised, the H-1B lottery process is undergoing changes for cap-subject employers. The H-1B is the most common professional work visa, limited by a numerical quota of 65,000 regular cap approvals per year,...more
It is time to start preparing for the upcoming H-1B visa lottery, which begins April 1, 2020, and will be the first one to require an electronic registration for each case. To be eligible to file a cap-subject H-1B...more