The United States continues to be a magnet for international students, especially in science and engineering graduate programs, but its dominance is no longer a given. According to a new report from the Association of...more
USCIS announced on Mar. 31, 2025, that it has completed the initial selection process for H-1B visa cap-subject petitions for fiscal year 2026. The statutory cap is 65,000 H-1B visas (regular cap), with an additional 20,000...more
After quietly updating consular websites, signaling a significant change to Visa Interview Waiver (“dropbox”) eligibility requirements, on Feb. 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) officially announced the reversion to...more
Skilled immigration is making headlines with renewed focus on the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program, the most popular employment-based visa for foreign professional workers. Recent statements by Trump advisors Elon Musk and...more
1/16/2025
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Reform ,
Prevailing Wages ,
STEM ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
As demand for talent surges in the fast-growing life sciences industry, U.S. employers continue to face challenges in their search for immigration options to retain their high-skilled foreign workers....more
In a settlement agreement signed on January 19, 2023, USCIS agreed to “bundle” the adjudication of dependent applicants’ Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment...more
U.S. firefighters coming to help extinguish the devastating forest fires were cheered when they arrived at the airport in Sydney, Australia. In the past, in what became a reciprocal arrangement, Australian firefighters have...more
In response to the depletion of numeric-only numbers for Form I-94 arrival/departure records, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began to use alphanumeric “numbers” (i.e., composed of letters and numbers) in May 2019....more
Traveling to the U.S. to give birth to a U.S.-citizen child, or birth tourism, is not a new industry. In January 2018, DHS raided 20 “maternity hotels” in Los Angeles suspected of housing “birth tourism” operations. A...more
Beginning September 11, 2018, USCIS immigration officers will have more discretion to issue petition and application denials without first issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs).
On...more
News outlet Reuters has reported that during the first month of Travel Ban 3.0, 8,400 individuals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and Venezuela applied for visas, while only an estimated 100...more