With successive presidential proclamations and executive orders in recent months, there can be considerable confusion around what type of immigration petitions and applications can be filed, and who can enter the United...more
8/12/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
O Visa Petitions ,
PERM ,
TN-Visas ,
Travel Restrictions ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
A federal court on July 29 temporarily halted the public charge rule during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on July 31 released a new proposed schedule with...more
In a landmark 5–4 decision issued June 18, the US Supreme Court held that the Department of Homeland Security’s rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful agency action....more
6/23/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Citizenship ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Homeland Security v Regents of the University of California ,
Educational Institutions ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Rescission ,
SCOTUS ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v NAACP ,
USCIS ,
Wolf v Vidal ,
Work Permits
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Friday that it will resume premium processing for certain petitions in phases over the next month....more
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, on April 1, US Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed that its offices would remain closed to the public until at least May 3....more
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a statement on March 13, 2020, clarifying that receipt of any treatment or preventive services related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) will not negatively affect an...more
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that applicants and petitioners who receive a Request of Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) dated between...more
In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on March 25, 2020, extended suspension of routine in-person services until at least April 7, 2020. USCIS had previously...more
As of March 20, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended the Premium Processing service for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions, and the US Department of State suspended routine, nonemergency visa services...more
Consular sections of US embassies around the world, as well as US Citizenship and Immigration Services, are beginning to announce cancellations of certain in-person services, including routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visa...more
As employers prepare plans to handle possible alternate employee work arrangements in light of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak, it is important to keep in mind how these plans and policies—including telework policies—may...more
3/5/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
E-1 ,
E-2 ,
E-3 ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-1 Visas ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
O Visa Petitions ,
OPT ,
Public Health ,
Remote Working ,
Risk Management ,
SEVIS ,
STEM ,
Telecommuting ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on December 6 that it completed testing of the new electronic registration system, and will be implementing the system in the upcoming fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap...more
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on October 11 enjoined and halted enforcement of the new public charge rule that was due to become effective October 15, 2019. The court not only enjoined the US...more
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to implement a new rule next week that makes it more difficult for foreign nationals to extend their stay in the country or receive permanent residence if they...more
The US Department of Homeland Security makes it tougher for foreign nationals who have received public benefits to adjust, renew, or extend their status in the United States. Applicants can be refused temporary or permanent...more
Now is the time for employers to assess their FY2020 H-1B needs and start preparing their petitions for submission on April 1. It is very likely that the cap for H-1B petitions will be reached in early April of this year, so...more
Most operations across US immigration agencies are either fee based or considered “essential” and therefore would be expected to proceed normally if the government were to shut down on December 22....more
In the January 2019 visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State, EB-1 remains backlogged for all country allotments, advancing by only two-and-a-half to three months....more
12/18/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
A registration program proposed by US Citizenship and Immigration Services would eliminate the need for paper filings prior to the lottery process for cap-subject H-1B petitions, and increase the chance of selection for...more
In the October 2018 visa bulletin issued by the US Department of State, EB-1 remains backlogged for all countries of chargeability, and EB-2 and EB-3 are once again current for worldwide allotment....more
9/14/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced without warning that it will extend its suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions and, beginning September 11, expand it to include additional H-1B...more
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 India advances slightly....more
6/20/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
Popular ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 India advances slightly....more
5/18/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
Final Action dates for China and India EB-1 categories remain unchanged, while EB-2 China and EB-3 India cutoff dates will advance....more
4/19/2018
/ China ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Guatemala ,
Honduras ,
India ,
Mexico ,
Philippines ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas
The announcement from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services came as a surprise and could create significant uncertainty for H-1B petitioners and the beneficiaries of cap-subject H-1B petitions....more