US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Headquarters ruling H327577 of May 8, 2024 dealt with an unusual set of circumstances and produced some unusual results. The ruling involved a plant fertilizer product sold under the...more
On July 25, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released an Issue Spotlight focusing on the fees associated with electronic payment platforms used by school districts to process school lunch payments. In...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, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the pre-registration filing period for the 2025 Fiscal Year H-1B cap submissions will take place from March 6, 2024, at noon ET to noon...more
On January 30, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the FY2025 H-1B Cap Lottery will open at noon Eastern Time (EST) on March 6, 2024, and run through noon...more
On January 31, 2024, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust filing fees for most petitions and applications. The new fees take effect for petitions and applications filed...more
Last January I posted about "An Unwelcome Update to Start 2023: USCIS Proposing Rule to Raise Filing Fees; Set Specific Filing Fees for Different Types of I-129 Filings". That unwelcome proposal to start 2023 may become an...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 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that premium processing fees related to employment-based visa and green card petitions will increase as of February 26, 2024. USCIS will reject...more
On December 13, 2023, the State of New York enacted Assembly Bill No. 2672 (Act), which modifies New York’s ban on credit card surcharges. The revised law takes effect on February 11, 2024....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently announced it will increase the filing fee for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing. The fee change will go into effect for all Premium Processing requests received on...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that fees will increase for all requests for Premium Processing. The increases will apply to all requests for premium processing that are postmarked on or after...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule to increase premium processing fees. The new fees will start on February 26, 2024. On December 27, 2023, USCIS announced an inflation adjustment...more
Premium processing will become more expensive starting on February 26, 2024. According to USCIS, it is raising the fees to adjust for inflation. The newly generated income, estimated to be approximately $185 million, will...more
While the federal government’s campaign against hidden “junk” fees intensifies, state attorneys general (AGs) have long been contesting concealed costs as unfair or deceptive — especially in the absence of sufficient...more
On December 27, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will increase the fee for Premium Processing, effective February 26, 2024. In accordance with the USCIS Stabilization Act, codified...more
Let’s assume you own 95 acres in Greene County, Pennsylvania. In 2019, you signed an oil and gas lease with ABC Exploration. During the negotiations, you agreed that only those post-production costs which actually...more
Multinational companies operating in Mexico are subject to Mexican regulations regarding the use of foreign goods. Mexican customs law provides that, with the exception of goods for personal use, any person who possesses,...more
Ten U.S. states have beverage container redemption laws, more commonly referred to as "bottle bills." Recent bottle bill changes in California and Oregon will soon impact the alcohol industry through the addition of canned...more
On March 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of State published final adjustments to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for several nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application processing fees and the fee for border crossing cards...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
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with fee increases for immigration filings. Under the proposed rule, the most dramatic increases would apply to employment-based...more
On July 29, a payment processor company and its two sales affiliates (defendants) agreed to a stipulated order with the FTC to settle charges that they imposed hidden terms, surprise exit fees, and “zombie charges” on small...more
Beginning August 1, 2022, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for the following petitions which are pending with USCIS: ...more
When Ms. Ur M. Jaddou became the new US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director in August 2021, she inherited a huge backlog of visa and document applications. While the Biden Administration signaled early that...more