President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1, “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), on July 4. The OBBBA affects a wide range of workplace issues, including immigration, benefits, and employment tax liabilities. Below is only a brief...more
7/15/2025
/ 1099s ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
ESTA ,
Federal Taxes ,
Foreign Workers ,
HSA ,
Immigration Procedures ,
New Legislation ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Over-Time ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Reform ,
Tax Relief ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Workplace Safety
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has quietly hit pause on a key program that streamlined Social Security number (SSN) issuance for nonimmigrant and immigrant applicants. As of March 19, 2025, the Enumeration Beyond...more
USCIS has issued updated guidance following the U.S. Supreme Court’s May 19, 2025, decision to grant the Justice Department’s emergency request to lift a March 31 California district court order halting DHS’s termination of...more
6/12/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Agencies ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
New Guidance ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
USCIS ,
Venezuela ,
Work Permits
The 540-day automatic extensions of expiring employment authorization documents (EADs) will be permanent policy, according to a DHS final rule scheduled to be published on Dec. 13, 2024. The new rule will become effective on...more
12/12/2024
/ Asylum ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Extensions ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Refugees ,
Spouses ,
STEM ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS
An amendment to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act going into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, imposes many new obligations on employers regarding the use of E-Verify – some that go beyond federal E-Verify...more
11/12/2024
/ E-Verify ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Form I-9 ,
Illinois ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
New Regulations ,
Notice Requirements ,
State Labor Departments ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On June 20, 2024, USCIS announced the automatic extension until March 9, 2025, of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued to certain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal,...more
7/22/2024
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
El Salvador ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Honduras ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Nepal ,
Nicaragua ,
Sudan ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS
USCIS announced that it is extending the validity of certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan until...more
7/1/2024
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
El Salvador ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
Honduras ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Nepal ,
Nicaragua ,
Sudan ,
Temporary Protected Status
Good news for those applying for or with pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewals. DHS is temporarily reinstituting its 540-day automatic extension of work authorization for eligible individuals....more
Many USCIS filing fees are being adjusted upward beginning on April 1, 2024. That date, of course, is particularly significant. It is the earliest date that Cap H-1Bs can be filed.
The H-1B filing fee, for example, will rise...more
USCIS is increasing the maximum validity period to five years for initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain categories of applicants, including noncitizens with pending adjustment of status...more
The Department of Homeland Security announced the redesignation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and its extension from March 4, 2023, through Sept. 3, 2024.
Individuals who have not previously held Yemeni TPS...more
USCIS has announced that Ukrainian and Afghan parolees with certain classes of admission are employment authorized incident to status which means they can begin working without an EAD....more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will continue Form I-9 flexibility for another nine months until July 31, 2023, according to an announcement. DHS guidance remains the same. Employees who, due to COVID-19 policies,...more
As of May 4, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing the automatic extension of work authorization from 180 days to 540 days for certain individuals. ...more
Just as the Biden Administration is proposing increased funding for USCIS to help reduce the agency’s backlog, USCIS is announcing future new actions to improve processing times....more
As of January 31, 2022, spouses entering the United States in L-2 or E status may be able to obtain work authorization at the border by asking Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to give them a “spousal” designation in their...more
Nonimmigrant spouses of H-1B and L-1 visa holders with long-pending EAD applications have finally received some relief. Based upon a settlement in Shergill v. Mayokas, USCIS is making major policy changes. Going forward,...more
Illinois has amended the Illinois Human Rights Act to make “work authorization status” a protected category.
The amendment, Public Act 102-0233, became effective immediately upon the governor’s signing in early-August...more
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program (DACA) is not legal, U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen has ruled in State of Texas et al. v. U.S. et al.
Judge Hanen issued an injunction preventing the Department...more
ICE announced that I-9 flexibility will be extended again – this time through the whole summer until August 31, 2021.
Since March 2020, companies that have been operating remotely have been able to inspect Section 2 Form...more
The United States Citizenship Act was introduced on February 18, 2021. Sponsored in the House by Representative Linda Sanchez (D-Calif) and in the Senate by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the bill calls for broad immigration...more
2/23/2021
/ Citizenship ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Green Cards ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Reform ,
Joe Biden ,
STEM ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Visas
On January 25, 2021, the Biden administration withdrew from review the Trump administration’s proposed rule that would have rescinded the H-4 EAD program.
For close to five years, spouses of H-1B workers holding H-4 EADs...more
On January 4, 2021, DHS announced that for I-9 purposes, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients may present an unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with Code C33 issued on or after July 28,...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have allowed some flexibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of the changes in effect:.....more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a further extension of status and work authorization until October 4, 2021, for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal,...more