On July 18, 2025, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap of 85,000 new H-1B filings for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026). As a...more
7/23/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Foreign Workers ,
Government Agencies ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visas
President Donald Trump has swiftly signed several immigration-related executive orders and implemented other immigration initiatives since his inauguration. These executive orders and policy changes have the stated intent to...more
2/26/2025
/ Audits ,
Compliance ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
USCIS
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months, and also established procedures for eligible Lebanese nationals granted Deferred...more
12/2/2024
/ Advance Parole Documents ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Federal Register ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lebanon ,
Non-Citizens ,
Patent Applications ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule adjusting the investment and revenue thresholds for International Entrepreneur Parole program (IEP) eligibility, effective October 1, 2024.
The IEP...more
On February 2, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will issue a final ruledesigned to improve the integrity of the H-1B registration program. The rule, titled, “Improving the H-1B Registration Selection Process...more
On January 31, 2024, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule to adjust filing fees for most petitions and applications. The new fees take effect for petitions and applications filed...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently provided further guidance on eligibility criteria for the International Entrepreneur Parole program (IEP). Background The IEP rule was promulgated at the end of the...more
On September 15, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had begun implementing the next phase of the premium processing expansion for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140 under...more
On January 31, 2022, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began issuing I-94 forms with new designations for L-2 and E visa dependents. The new designations for L-2 and E dependent spouses specifically will serve as evidence...more
On Friday, January 28, 2022, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the online registration period for H-1B quota selection for the upcoming fiscal year will begin on March 1 at 12:00 pm (noon) Eastern...more
Since the publication of our November 12, 2021 alert, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance following the November 10, 2021 settlement agreement and updated the I-9 Handbook providing for...more
11/30/2021
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dependents ,
E-1 ,
E-2 ,
E-3 ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Extensions ,
H-4 ,
H-4 Spouses ,
L-2 Visas ,
National Security ,
USCIS
In a consequential policy reversal, the Department of Homeland Security entered into a settlement agreement following a lawsuit regarding validity of L-2 and H-4 Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cards. U.S. Citizenship...more
Starting on October 1, 2021, any applicant for lawful permanent residence and other categories that require the immigration medical examination must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. USCIS will implement this requirement...more
On May 18, 2021, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated its interpretation of the requirements for acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth as provided by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). ...more
On Friday, January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final rule to replace the current U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) H-1B visa petition selection process based on a random...more
On December 31, 2020, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation extending to March 31, 2021 the restrictions on entry of H, L and J nonimmigrants into the United States, and entry of new immigrant visa holders. ...more
As previously reported by Mintz, on August 3, 2020, USCIS issued a Final Rule which will increase USCIS filing fees. There are dramatic fee increases to many common petitions and applications; and some filing fees will be...more
Given the challenges presented by COVID-19, many businesses must consider large-scale, transformational changes to their operations. As social distancing continues and safety concerns pervade the public consciousness,...more
Beginning May 1, employers must use the latest edition of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (which has an edition date of 10/21/2019). Use of prior editions of the Form I-9 is not permitted.
USCIS also...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is extending its current office closures, and is now preparing to reopen its offices on or after June 4, 2020.
On March 18, USCIS initially...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts site visits at the offices of employers who petitioned or are petitioning for temporary work visas on behalf of their employees. These site visits are funded by the $500...more
Government enforcement activities at businesses have significantly increased this year. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has already conducted 5,200 audits...more
8/28/2018
/ Audits ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Form I-9 ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Inspections ,
Search Warrant ,
Trump Administration
On Monday, February 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's petition to the Court to review a California federal court’s order temporarily enjoining the administration’s termination of the Deferred...more
On July 17, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published another revised version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. It will be mandatory for employers to use this new version of the form...more
As foreign national employees come back from summer vacations and travel abroad, one of the most overlooked immigration documents and pitfalls is Form I-94. If Form I-94 is issued for a shorter validity period than the...more