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Visas H-4 Spouses

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ArentFox Schiff

It’s H-1B Lottery Time Again and There Is a New Lottery System

ArentFox Schiff on

It’s that time of year again when employers have to decide who they are sponsoring for an H-1B visa. For a brief background, H-1B work visas are the most common work visas for foreign nationals in professional positions...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Employers, Get Ready: H-1B Cap Lottery Season Is Almost Here

Holland & Knight LLP on

Beginning March 6, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will conduct its annual H-1B Cap Lottery to award H-1B slots for professional workers in specialty occupations. There are a total of 85,000 visas...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

H-4 Work Authorization Protections Upheld: Save Jobs USA v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security

A recent ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia provides added protection and work authorization safeguards for H-4 spouses of H-1B visa holders facing potential lawsuits and administrative challenges....more

Smith Gambrell Russell

Be Prepared: H-1B Cap Season is Around the Corner!

Smith Gambrell Russell on

It’s time to start preparing for the H-1B cap season. The H-1B cap registration period for Fiscal Year 2024 will open at noon Eastern on March 1, 2023, and run through noon on March 17, 2023....more

Moore & Van Allen PLLC

H-1B Cap Season for USCIS Fiscal Year 2024 Registration Opens on March 1, 2023

Moore & Van Allen PLLC on

As many Employers and Foreign Nationals are likely aware, the H-1B CAP Season for USCIS 2024 Fiscal Year rapidly approaches. On Friday USICS announced it will open H-1B CAP registration at noon (12PM ET) on March 1, 2023, and...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

USCIS Agrees to Bundle Adjudications of H-4/H-4 EADs and L-2 Dependent Applications

In the recent legal settlement of Edakunni v. Mayorkas, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to resume adjudicating H-4 and L-2 dependent and H-4 employment authorization petitions at the same time...more

Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

Lawsuit Settlement Results in USCIS Policy Benefiting  H-4 and L-2 Spouses and Children

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

Cozen O'Connor

USCIS Will Return to Bundling Processing of I-129, I-539, and I-765 Applications

Cozen O'Connor on

As the result of a settlement of a class action lawsuit (Edakunni, et al. v. Mayorkas) challenging H-4 and L-2 adjudication delays, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 20, 2023, that it has...more

Moore & Van Allen PLLC

USCIS Agrees to Resume Processing H-4 and L-2 Dependent Applications with a Principal's Concurrently Filed Form I-129

Moore & Van Allen PLLC on

In response to a Lawsuit (Edakunni v. Mayorkas) filed on behalf of Spouses of H-1B and L-1 Visa Holders, USCIS has reached a settlement agreement which it will implement effective today, January 25, 2023....more

BakerHostetler

Back to the Future: USCIS Resumes Expedited Processing of H-4 and L-2 Applications When Filed Concurrently with an H-1B or L-1...

BakerHostetler on

In a settlement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to return to processing dependent H-4 and L-2 applications at the same time as the H-1B or L-1 petition when filed concurrently. This...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

USCIS Agrees to Bundle Adjudication for H-4/H-4 EADs and L-2 Dependent Applications When Filed Concurrently with Form I-129

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: Starting January 25, 2023, USCIS will adjudicate I-539 and I-765 applications for H-4 and L-2 dependents when those applications are filed concurrently with the I-129 petition.  The bundling of those...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

USCIS Settlement Requires Adjudication of H-4, EAD, and L-2 Applications With Principal’s H-1B or L-1 Petition

On January 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reached a settlement in Edakunni v. Mayorkas, which restructures U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) adjudication policies for H-4 and L-2...more

Dentons

Faster Processing for H-4 and L-2 Dependents Starting January 25, 2023 – Including Work Permission

Dentons on

In an excellent development, as of January 25, 2023, the U.S. government agreed to resume the process of “bundling” H-4 and L-2 dependent applications, – including I-765 work permission applications, with the H-1B and L-1...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Automatic Extension Period of Employment Authorization Documents

On May 4, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective immediately, it would increase the automatic extension period for employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain EAD renewal...more

Jackson Walker

Update to L-2 Spousal Work Authorization: All I-94s in Government Database Receive S Annotation

Jackson Walker on

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, backlogs for immigration benefits have been at an all-time high, with some benefits—such as the L-2 Spousal EAD—taking up to 12 months or longer. ...more

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

USCIS Confirms Acceptable Evidence of Employment Authorization for Certain E and L Nonimmigrant Spouses

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA on

Following the Shergill, et al. v. Mayorkas settlement, U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) started issuing I-94 forms on January 30, 2022, with new Class of Admission (COA) codes for certain E and L spouses as evidence of...more

Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

USCIS Updates  E and L Spousal Employment Authorization Guidelines

As previously reported, pursuant to a policy announced on November 12, 2022, USCIS will consider E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to be employment authorized incidental to their status. On January 30, 2022, USCIS and...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

L-2 and E Dependent Spouses: CBP Begins Implementing New I-94 Designations

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued policy guidance addressing the automatic extension of status for H-4, L-2, and E dependent spouses in response to the settlement of a class action lawsuit. ...more

Gibney Anthony & Flaherty, LLP

E and L Spousal Employment Authorization Update:  CBP Implements Admission Classification System

As previously reported, under a new policy, USCIS will consider E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to be employment authorized incidental to their status. This means that upon admission and issuance of a valid I-94...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Begins Issuing New I-94 Designations for L-2 and E-Dependent Spouse Visa Holders

Quarles & Brady LLP on

On November 19, 2021, the Quarles & Brady team issued an alert detailing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s (USCIS) policy changes regarding work authorization for L-2, H-4, and E dependent visa spouses....more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

L-2 EAD Renewals: Clarity For L-2 EADs After USCIS Settlement Agreement

On November 10, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reached a settlement in the class action Shergill v. Mayorkas. As part of the settlement, USCIS agreed to update its policy relating to H-4 and L-2...more

Burr & Forman

USCIS Expands Automatic Employment Authorization Extensions and Nonimmigrant Categories Eligible to Work Incident to Status

Burr & Forman on

Employment Authorization Document (EAD) processing times have been severely delayed in recent years, rendering certain dependent nonimmigrants temporarily ineligible to work and causing gaps in some U.S. employers’...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Department of State Expands Waivers of the Interview Requirement for Certain Nonimmigrant Visas

Harris Beach PLLC on

In a long-awaited effort to address delays and backlogs that have arisen due to consular closures and limited staffing over the last year-and-a-half, on December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it is...more

ArentFox Schiff

Some Overdue, but Limited, Relief for Working H-4, L-2 & E Spouses

ArentFox Schiff on

The USCIS (US Citizenship & Immigration Service) announced a new rule to aid in the recent dilemma many foreign national families and US employers have confronted; namely addressing the gap in work authorization and...more

Cozen O'Connor

Completing Form I-9 for EAD Automatic Extensions for Nonimmigrant Dependent Spouses

Cozen O'Connor on

On November 12, 2021, USCIS issued a new policy that automatically extends employment authorization for dependent spouses in L-2 and E-1/E-2/E-3 status. The new policy also automatically extended employment authorization for...more

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