Immigration Insights Podcast: International Entrepreneur Parole Program & Biometrics Requirement
International travelers seeking to renew their U.S. visas must meet stricter requirements and may see longer wait times. Effective February 18, 2025, DOS has officially reverted the special pandemic-era eligibility criteria...more
Through a series of sweeping executive orders, the Trump Administration has launched a systematic overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. The Administration’s prioritization of immigration enforcement will likely impact...more
On January 20, 2025, the Trump Administration issued multiple immigration-related Executive Orders focusing on border security, rolling back humanitarian programs, increased vetting of visa applicants, and an attempt to end...more
An all too familiar countdown once again as we wait to hear the fate of the latest temporary extension to continue funding the government after midnight on Friday, December 20th. Employers should be aware that a shutdown will...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule to permanently increase the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents for certain applicants. The final...more
The U.S. Supreme Court held in Bouarfa v. Mayorkas, No. 23-583 (Dec. 10, 2024), that one cannot appeal a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revocation of an approved visa petition in federal court because such...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated Qatar for inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Qatar will be the first Gulf State to join the VWP program which allows for streamlined travel and entry to...more
On June 18, 2024, the White House unveiled two new initiatives to provide a faster path to work authorization for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients—also called Dreamers—and other undocumented...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order that sets a new course for the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Interestingly, this order is...more
The Department of State published the October 2023 Visa Bulletin Report on September 15, 2023 and announced that it will accept family and employment-based filings based on the Dates for Filing chart in October. As October is...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law, especially since the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace. In order to ensure you stay on top of the latest changes and have an action plan...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration: 1. Submission Deadline for FY2024 H-1B Cap Petitions - Employers should be reminded that the deadline to file a cap-subject...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years — and this past...more
Effective January 25, 2023, USCIS resumed concurrent processing of I-539 applications to extend/change nonimmigrant status and I-765 applications for employment authorization filed by H-4 and L-2 spouses and minor children...more
For the last several years, unnecessary delays and long processing times of H-4 and H-4 EAD (Employment Authorization) applications have caused frustration for H-1B dependents attempting to change or extend their status,...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has started to offer premium processing service for certain long-pending, employment-based permanent resident petitions. Consistent with its previous announcement, USCIS is...more
On May 4, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a vast increase in the length of automatic extensions for certain renewal applicants. A Temporary Final...more
Today, March 30, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule expanding premium processing for multinational managers, advanced degree holders seeking a national interest waiver, nonimmigrant...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it plans to add mandatory social media collection to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) process. ESTA is an automated online system that...more
On Burr & Forman's "Immigration Insights" podcast, host Melissa Azallion Kenny provides listeners with updates on the International Entrepreneur Parole Program and the suspension of biometric fees for dependent applicants....more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will delay the effective date of the January 8, 2021 rule modifying the H-1B cap selection process to prioritize high wage earners until December 31, 2021. This...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will delay the effective date of a rule issued two weeks prior to the end of the Trump administration that seeks to change how H-1B “specialty occupation” visa applications are...more
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California set aside the Interim Final Rules issued in October 2020 by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security...more
Recent developments which are likely to have a dramatic effect on certain foreign workers seeking entrance to the United States occurred earlier this week with the introduction of dual regulatory changes by the U.S....more
The Trump Administration has announced that it will publish two Interim Final Rules on Thursday, October 8, 2020 that will substantially alter the H-1B visa program for temporary professionals working in a specialty...more