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
In a move that likely will give a boost to the Brazilian tourism industry, the Brazilian government has announced that U.S. citizens can now visit Brazil without a visa. Citizens of Australia, Canada, and Japan also have...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
President Donald Trump issued a Memorandum on April 22, 2019 aimed at reducing visa overstays – people who stay in the U.S. beyond the time authorized by their visas. Assertions set forth in the Memorandum include:
For FY...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
Professional athletes who are “internationally recognized” are eligible for the P-1 visa and eSports (video games) at the professional level have become such major athletic events that eSports players have been granted these...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
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
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
Reports about the possible elimination of AC-21 extensions (for H-1B workers awaiting green cards) are now being denied by the government. The USCIS is attempting to quell fears caused by rumors that the Administration would...more
New guidance explaining the criteria for visa applicants was issued by the Department of State to U.S. embassies and consulates late on June 28, 2017, according to reports. The guidance will go into effect on June 29, at 8:00...more
Joining the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and using President Donald Trump’s tweets to support its decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Hawaii v. Trump has continued to block the revised travel ban.
Unlike the...more
In these days of “extreme vetting,” entering the United States as a business visitor (B visa or Visa Waiver status, with an ESTA approval) can have its hazards – especially for athletes who need to enter the United States...more
To evaluate terrorism or national security-related ineligibilities of visa applicants, the Department of State has requested emergency review and public comment on a new rule on the collection of additional information from...more
State Department Secretary Rex Tillerson has directed all consular chiefs to determine which populations of visa applicants should be subject to additional “extreme” vetting. The March 15 direction is in response to...more
Late on March 15, Judge Derrick Watson of the U.S. District Court in Hawaii issued a nationwide injunction blocking the revised travel ban Executive Order that was scheduled to take effect on March 16. In addition, on March...more
The “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” Executive Order (E.O.), issued by President Donald Trump on March 6, 2017, suspends processing of visa issuance for individuals from six...more
3/7/2017
/ Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
Muslims ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas
President Donald Trump had campaigned on prioritizing and protecting the interests of American workers and reducing unlawful employment of aliens. In a draft Executive Order, “Protecting American Jobs and Workers by...more
3/2/2017
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Reform ,
PERM ,
Record Preservation ,
Temporary Work Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Work Visas ,
Workplace Investigations
While daily governmental guidance for affected individuals, in the United States and abroad, has followed the signing of Executive Order “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” on January...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has denied the government’s request for an emergency “pause” of Judge James Robart’s TRO prohibiting implementation of the EO barring individuals from seven countries to...more