U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap,...more
7/22/2025
/ Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On June 4, 2025, President Donald Trump signed a Proclamation implementing new entry restrictions for individuals from countries identified by his administration as presenting elevated risks to U.S. national security and...more
6/6/2025
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Policy ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
National Security ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
Employers who employ H-1B, L-1, R-1 foreign nationals, or are pursuing EB-5 immigrant investor program visas should prepare for the likelihood of an unannounced site visit by the government. The USCIS Fraud Detection and...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has completed the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) H-1B lottery for both regular H-1B cap beneficiaries, as well as advanced degree (master’s) cap beneficiaries. Those registrants who...more
On February 5, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the FY2026 H-1B Cap Lottery will open at noon Eastern Time (EST) on March 7, 2025, and run through noon...more
2/11/2025
/ Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On January 22, 2025, USCIS posted an alert pertaining to the I-693 immigration medical exam required for most individuals applying to become lawful permanent residents. USCIS indicates that they now “waive[s] any and all...more
1/24/2025
/ Adjustment of Status ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Policy Updates ,
Popular ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas
On Monday, September 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of State (DOS), working in close collaboration with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced publicly that all available immigrant visas in the...more
On January 30, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the FY2025 H-1B Cap Lottery will open at noon Eastern Time (EST) on March 6, 2024, and run through noon...more
The Department of State announced last month that it would unveil a domestic visa renewal pilot program for some H-1B holders. Currently, all visa holders are required to travel to consulates abroad to renew the visa stamps...more
The State Department (DOS) recently announced a new pilot program for H-1B visa holders, allowing them to renew their H-1B visa stamps while remaining in the United States. Currently, H-1B visa holders must apply at a U.S....more
On Friday, October 20, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued policy guidance clarifying the two following points with respect to the L-1 petition for intracompany transferees:
A sole proprietorship...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Consular Affairs announced that the online registration period for the 2025 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program), also known as the Green Card Lottery, will begin on...more
On Monday, August 21, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has launched a new online form for individuals, attorneys, and accredited representatives to request an in-person appointment at...more
On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is expanding myProgress (formerly known as personalized processing times) to Form I-765, Application for Employment...more
On June 28, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) launched a new self-service tool allowing benefit requestors and their attorneys and accredited representatives to reschedule most biometric appointments...more
On March 27, 2023, USCIS received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the FY 2024 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption, also known as the...more
On Friday, March 31, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will be issuing policy guidance to remove the requirement that the civil surgeon’s signature on the Form I-693, Report of Immigration...more
On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will be updating the USCIS Policy Manual to address situations when the last day to file a benefit request or respond to a...more
On Monday, March 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the agency received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2024 H-1B...more
As the result of a settlement of a class action lawsuit (Edakunni, et al. v. Mayorkas) challenging H-4 and L-2 adjudication delays, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 20, 2023, that it has...more
On Thursday, January 12, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it is implementing the final phase of its planned premium processing expansion for Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers,...more
On December 23, 2022, the Department of State announced that the Secretary of State made a determination extending the authority of consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain nonimmigrant visa categories...more
On December 19, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released information regarding nonimmigrant workers whose employment is terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. USCIS indicated that...more
12/28/2022
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Expedited Actions Process ,
Foreign Workers ,
Grace Period ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Portability ,
Stays ,
Termination ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Since March 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has granted petitioners and beneficiaries certain flexibilities with respect to various petitions filed with USCIS. Since that time, those flexibilities have...more
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced the opening of the registration period for the DV-2024 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery Program enables foreign nationals to apply for...more