U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced an extension to its waiver of the civil surgeon signature validity requirement for Form I-693. Form I-693 is the Report of Medical Examination and...more
Since its introduction in 2001, the Premium Processing service offered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has seen notable changes. Premium Processing was originally introduced as an option for certain...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a Temporary Final Rule that will increase the 180-day automatic extension period for some Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) to 540 days beyond the EAD’s...more
5/11/2022
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Time Extensions ,
USCIS
On January 22, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began requiring all non-U.S. individuals entering the United States by land or ferry across the U.S./Mexico or U.S./Canada borders to be fully vaccinated against...more
Last week, USCIS announced the H-1B visa cap registration deadlines for FY2023. Registration is mandatory for employers wishing to sponsor a candidate for an H-1B visa in the FY2023 H-1B cap cycle. Registration is an annual...more
Effective December 31, 2021, the United States began permitting noncitizen arrivals from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. A Presidential Proclamation went into effect on...more
Employment Authorization Document (EAD) processing times have been severely delayed in recent years, rendering certain dependent nonimmigrants temporarily ineligible to work and causing gaps in some U.S. employers’...more
1/5/2022
/ E-2 ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-2 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Popular ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Resources -
South Carolina Business License Reforms Go Into Effect January 1, 2022 -
South Carolina businesses have historically been subject to business license taxes on their gross income that vary widely from...more
12/16/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Business Licenses ,
Contract Management ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Minimum Wage ,
Online Contracts ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Reform ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Travel Ban ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour
On October 25, 2021, President Biden announced plans to revoke the current country-by-country travel restrictions to the United States which have been in place since January 2020....more
11/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
International Travel ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Ban ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports
Beginning October 1, 2021, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all applicants applying for lawful permanent residence (i.e. green card) with some exceptions. ...more
9/22/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Individual Mandate ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Permanent Residence Cards ,
Request for Evidence (RFEs) ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas
On October 7, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced an Interim Final Rule titled, “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States” would go into...more
9/14/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-3 ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
PERM ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Remand ,
Vacated
Resources -
Effective Date Announced for New COVID-19 Safety Rule for Healthcare Providers -
OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard imposes new COVID-19 requirements on healthcare providers. Employers must comply with...more
Focus -
DOL Issues New COVID-19 Safety Rule for Healthcare Providers -
OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard imposes new COVID-19 requirements on healthcare providers. Most of the new requirements go into effect...more
6/23/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health and Safety ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
IRS ,
Misclassification ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Travel Ban ,
Workplace Safety
While the United States has seen a drastic drop in COVID-19 cases as vaccinations become more prevalent, other countries continue to see significant infection rates. Travel restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of...more
6/8/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-2 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-Visas ,
National Interest Waiver ,
O Visa Petitions ,
Travel Ban
Focus -
America's Immigration System: President Biden's First 100 Days -
Last month, President Joe Biden ("President Biden") wrapped up his first 100 days as President of the United States – focusing on a myriad of...more
Updated CDC COVID-19 Guidance -
The CDC has updated its guidance regarding masking and physical distancing for fully vaccinated individuals. Once fully vaccinated, people can resume activities without wearing masks or...more
6/2/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Gender Identity ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
LGBTQ ,
Masks ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health ,
Relief Measures ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Social Distancing ,
Title IX ,
Vaccinations
Last month, President Joe Biden (“President Biden”) wrapped up his first 100 days as President of the United States – focusing on a myriad of issues from the Coronavirus pandemic (“COVID-19”) to America’s immigration system....more
5/20/2021
/ DACA ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Popular ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Public Charge ,
USCIS ,
Wage and Hour
What Matters: Travel from India will be significantly limited by Presidential Proclamation effective Tuesday, May 4, 2021....more
5/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
India ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
National Interest Waiver ,
Public Health ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee
On March 30, 2021, USCIS announced completion of the initial FY2022 H-1B Cap-Subject lottery selection process. Beginning April 1st, those selected were eligible to start filing. But what if your employee was not selected? ...more
4/29/2021
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
O Visa Petitions ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On June 22, 2020, the Trump Administration announced Presidential Proclamation 10052 (“PP 10052”), which suspended the issuance of many H, J, and L visas at U.S. Embassies and Consulates. The ban was originally set to expire...more
After federal courts blocked their first attempt in December, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently published a new final rule seeking to again increase the minimum wage paid to foreign workers when sponsored for an...more
1/25/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
PERM ,
Prevailing Wages ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
Earlier this year, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation restricting foreign nationals from entering the United States on certain temporary work visas through at least December 31, 2020 (“the Proclamation”). On...more
10/6/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Injunctions ,
L-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Temporary Work Visas ,
Trump Administration
COVID-19 has affected nearly all areas of immigration, including the speed at which the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is able to produce the Employment Authorization Document (“EAD card”). ...more
Spotlight -
Wrongfully Convicted of Murder, Tennessee Board of Parole Recommends Adam Braseel to be Exonerated -
On June 24, 2020, The Tennessee Board of Parole voted unanimously to recommend that Gov. Bill Lee...more
7/24/2020
/ 401k ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Exonerate ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v Pennsylvania ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Private Equity ,
Religious Exemption ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Work Visas
The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced July 6, 2020 that the flexibility granted to nonimmigrant students in F-1 or M-1 status to continue their studies online due to the COVID-19 crisis will be modified for...more