The Trump Administration announced a travel ban that fully restricts U.S. entry of nationals from 12 countries and partially restricts nationals from seven additional countries. This U.S. entry ban applies to foreign...more
6/9/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Exemptions ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
National Security ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The Trump administration continues extreme vetting and full enforcement of existing (even if dormant) immigration laws, including the requirement that noncitizens be registered with the government. The government refers to...more
4/10/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-94 ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Non-Citizens ,
Penalties ,
Registration Requirement ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Vetting
The Trump administration is focusing on fully enforcing existing immigration laws, including the requirement that noncitizens file Form AR-11 to notify USCIS of a change in residence within 10 days of moving....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
The Trump administration has not yet published an executive order banning visa issuance or inbound travel from specific countries, however, we anticipate travel bans as soon as late March....more
2/10/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Policy ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
National Security ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The slew of executive orders published by the Trump Administration in January included references to:
•Vetting and screening to the maximum degree across agencies -
•Reestablishing a uniform baseline for screening and...more
2/10/2025
/ Administrative Procedure ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
National Security ,
Requests for Evidence ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Embassies ,
USCIS ,
Vetting ,
Visas
Now is the time for employers to review H-1B needs for the FY2025 cap season. Feel free to contact us, and we will help you evaluate who is a good candidate for this classification.
Registrations will be submitted...more
On August 1, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published for immediate use a new edition of Form I-9, which will become mandatory on November 1, 2023. Employers may use Form I-9 edition dates 08/01/2023 or...more
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that its COVID-19 temporary flexibility policies for Form I-9 will end on July 31, 2023. Employers relying on the COVID-19 temporary flexibilities for Form I-9...more
Registrations for the FY2024 H-1B quota must be submitted electronically to USCIS in March 2023. We expect USCIS to designate a two-week registration period shortly. Last year USCIS charged a $10 fee per registration....more
Registrations for the FY2023 H-1B quota must be submitted electronically to USCIS in March 2022. USCIS will designate a registration period shortly, which should be a minimum two week window. USCIS will charge a $10 fee per...more
1/21/2022
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On May 3, 2021, as a result of litigation challenging processing delays, USCIS agreed that it will issue a policy to temporarily suspend biometrics requirements for I-539 applicants requesting an extension of stay or change...more
Fiscal Year 2022 - H-1B Lottery Registration Dates-
On February 5, 2021 the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced H-1B Cap Registrations for the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) lottery will be accepted...more
On January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security published a new regulation that will change the annual H-1B cap selection process from random selection to wage-based selection. In short, USCIS will rank and select...more
On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that significantly revises the "specialty occupation" H-1B legal standard, among other changes. The regulation is...more
On October 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that impacts prevailing wage programs for H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 temporary classifications, as well as for certain permanent residence...more
COVID-19 is rapidly affecting business immigration in multiple ways. Below is an outline of key impacts to date.
International Travel-
•Most U.S. embassies and consular posts have temporarily suspended visa...more
3/27/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
ESTA ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
PERM ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
USCIS ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas ,
Work Permits
USCIS released a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification on January 31, 2020. Employers should begin using the new version of Form I-9 at this time. Use of the new Form I-9 becomes mandatory starting May...more
USCIS has announced that it will utilize a new electronic registration process for FY2021 H-1B cap petitions. Registrations must be submitted from March 1 through March 20, 2020. USCIS will charge a $10 registration fee. We...more
On August 28, 2018, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will extend its current suspension of Premium Processing for H-1B cap subject petitions (new cases subject to the annual quota for a...more
On April 6, 2018, USCIS announced that the H-1B cap for FY2019 was reached within the five business day filing window running from April 2-6, 2018. This includes both the U.S. advanced degree cap preference limit of 20,000...more
H-1B season is underway! U.S. employers can file for new H-1B visas on behalf of prospective or existing employees beginning April 2, 2018. The anticipated window for filing new H-1B petitions under the USCIS H-1B quota for...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has resumed premium processing for all H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap.
Who can use Premium Processing?
Premium...more
On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) entitled "Buy American and Hire American," which addresses the H-1B visa program, among other topics.
Increased Enforcement; New Regulations and Guidance...more
On April 7, 2017, USCIS announced that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2018 was reached within the five business day filing window running from April 3-7, 2017. This includes both the U.S. advanced degree cap preference limit of...more