The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced flexibility regarding Employment Verification (Form I-9) regulations due to COVID-19.
Recognizing that companies and organizations are having to temporarily shift to a...more
Processing delays for immigration cases have increased by 46 percent in the past two fiscal years and 91 percent since FY 2014.
Businesses complain that they cannot obtain H-1B visas for key employees. Congress is looking...more
USCIS has announced the new Public Charge Rule will become effective on February 24, 2020, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has lifted the injunction.
This Rule affects legal immigrants (those who are legally in the United...more
It is time to start preparing for the upcoming H-1B visa lottery, which begins April 1, 2020, and will be the first one to require an electronic registration for each case.
To be eligible to file a cap-subject H-1B...more
2/3/2020
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The Trump Administration’s new Public Charge Rule can go into effect (for now, at least).
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, has lifted the injunction that prevented DHS from enforcing its new Public Charge Rule...more
Is it a significant achievement to make it onto a national sports team?
Would winning a top-ten spot in a European championship constitute an award for excellence?
Would being one of a duo who were U.S. junior ice dance...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral argument on whether the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawfully terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Policy. The Court’s decision in a consolidated case...more
President Donald Trump’s new “Presidential Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Will Financially Burden the United States Healthcare System” likely will reduce drastically the number of legal immigrants...more
Although not legal on the federal level, the marijuana industry is a fast-growing economic sector in the U.S. Thirty-three states have legalized medical marijuana and 10 of those have legalized recreational use. Based on...more
Since 2017, USCIS under the Trump Administration has essentially directed its adjudicators to find ways to deny H-1B petitions. The most recent statistics on Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and denials certainly support this,...more
DHS has proposed a fee of $10 per H-1B petition. The agency considers this to be an “appropriate, nominal fee” to recover some costs involved.
In January 2019, DHS published the rule establishing an H-1B electronic...more
Employers have paid about $7 billion in H-1B fees over the past 10 years. Now, a new fee is coming – the electronic registration fee.
Electronic pre-registration for the H-1B lottery is set to begin for the 2020 cap...more
Two years ago, then-Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, proposed collecting 15 years of travel, address and employment history and 5 years of social medical platforms, identifiers, phone numbers and emails from visa applicants...more
Long USCIS processing delays are now the norm for all types of immigration cases. Indeed, the delays have reached crisis levels. Processing times increased by 46% over the past two fiscal years and 91% since FY 2014.
...more
USCIS has announced on Twitter that there was an 11% increase from FY 2019 in H-1B advanced degree petitions selected in the FY 2020 lottery.
This year, USCIS reversed the lottery selection process. Master’s cap petitions...more
USCIS announced that as of April 10, 2019, it received 201,011 H-1B petitions for the FY 2020 cap season — more than enough to meet both the regular (65,000) and the advanced degree exemption (20,000) caps.
At the same...more
As the start of the H-1B cap season approaches, USCIS has clarified that not all of this year’s cap cases can be premium processed.
Despite its notice on March 12, USCIS has announced that only cap-subject H-1B petitions...more
While employers and immigration attorneys are preparing for the H-1B Cap Season, DHS has posted its Final Rule for a More Effective and Efficient H-1B Visa Program. The new rule will be published in the Federal Register on...more
Although the ongoing government shutdown is rooted in an immigration matter – the “wall” – its effect on other immigration processes is somewhat limited. Fee-funded activities are not affected, which means that USCIS offices...more
The Department of Homeland Security has published a much-anticipated notice of proposed rulemaking affecting the H-1B visa process. Public comments must be submitted by January 2, 2019....more
As of September 11, 2018, immigration officers will have more discretion to issue petition and application denials without first issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs).
This is yet...more
The Trump Administration, like Brexit, dominates the headlines in the US and is discussed worldwide. Immigration and its effects on the US economy and national security has been a primary focus for President Donald Trump...more
On April 6, 2018, USCIS announced that it reached the 65,000 H-1B visa cap for FY 2019, including the 20,000 U.S. advanced degree exemption known as the “master’s cap.” Every year since 2014, the cap has been reached during...more
Ending all speculation, the Secretary of Homeland Security has announced the end of temporary protected status (TPS) for approximately 200,000 Salvadorans who have been in the United States since 2001, following two...more
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is being rescinded, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on September 5, 2017.
The DACA program was implemented in 2012 by an executive order signed by...more