Executive Summary -
It has been a turbulent start to 2025 as U.S. employers scramble to adapt to new executive orders, sweeping changes at federal agencies and a growing patchwork of workplace regulations at the state and...more
5/7/2025
/ Discrimination ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
Wage and Hour
The new administration is likely to have a profound impact on immigration law and enforcement come January 20. As worksite enforcement and general immigration compliance issues were a primary focus of the Trump...more
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has just issued some much-needed guidance, through Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), on whether enrollment and use of E-Verify is prohibited in Illinois for private employers that do...more
USCIS has officially announced the dates for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 H-1B cap lottery, which will open on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at noon ET and end on Friday, March 22, 2024, at noon ET. This annual lottery is meant to...more
2/15/2024
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Job Applicants ,
Lottery ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently announced a streamlined process for foreign workers to request deferred action. Deferred action is a type of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action...more
2/5/2024
/ Cooperation ,
Deferred Action ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employees ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investigations ,
Labor Law Violations ,
USCIS
A lawsuit filed on August 10, 2023 against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleges that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 702, by exceeding its authority and determining that a...more
9/6/2023
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Students ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Information Technology ,
OPT ,
Regulatory Violations ,
STEM ,
Visas
On August 1, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a revised version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, which may be used now but must be used for all new hires and rehires...more
In an ever-evolving digital landscape, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has given employers a new option for verifying employment eligibility. On July 21, 2023, the USCIS announced a final rule,...more
The state of Florida recently enacted legislation that will have a significant impact on employers across the state. Senate Bill 1718 (SB1718), which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on May 10, 2023, requires private...more
7/18/2023
/ E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Florida ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
New Legislation ,
USCIS
It’s that time of the year again: the H-1B cap season is around the corner! On January 28, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the registration period for Fiscal Year 2023 will open at noon...more
Following months of crisis-level processing times for Form I-765 Applications for Employment Authorization on behalf of dependent spouses in L-21 and H-42 nonimmigrant visa status, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service...more
11/15/2021
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-765 ,
H-4 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-2 Visas ,
Settlement Agreements ,
USCIS
As the COVID-19 crisis in India has worsened in recent weeks, the Biden administration decided to issue a new round of travel restrictions targeting travel from India....more
5/4/2021
/ 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
The Biden administration decided to let a highly publicized temporary worker visa ban expire on March 31, 2021. Proclamation 10052 of June 22, 2020 (“Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S....more
4/2/2021
/ E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
Required Forms ,
Temporary Work Visas ,
USCIS
Last week, President Biden’s comprehensive immigration reform proposal, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, was introduced in the House and Senate. As officials in the administration initially reported, the provisions for the...more
3/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
DACA ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-4 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
STEM ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Visas
On February 24, 2021 President Biden officially lifted restrictions on entry to the United States stemming from former President Trump’s Proclamation 10014 of April 22, 2020 (“Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Present a...more
3/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity Lottery ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Travel Ban ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will delay the effective date of a rule issued two weeks prior to the end of the Trump administration that seeks to change how H-1B “specialty occupation” visa applications are...more
2/8/2021
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
Former President Trump’s administration made countless policy changes that have transformed the U.S. immigration landscape over the past four years. With President Biden now in office after running a presidential campaign...more
1/25/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-1 Visas ,
Muslims ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Travel Ban ,
Visas
Last summer the state of Florida enacted a new law requiring public and private employers to comply with new state E-Verify requirements starting January 1, 2021....more
While the U.S. presidential election has come to an end, we continue to monitor changes in the Trump administration’s handling of ongoing agency immigration reforms through the end of 2020 and into early 2021 that may impact...more
11/24/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On June 22, 2020, and citing economic recovery needs and unemployment due to the pandemic, President Trump issued “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus...more
On May 29, 2020, the White House issued a new proclamation on the admission of certain nonimmigrant students and researchers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The proclamation took effect on June 1, 2020, and will...more
6/3/2020
/ China ,
F-1 Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
National Security ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Renewable Energy ,
Research and Development ,
Students ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced new guidance for Form I-9 completion, including implementing a temporary policy for acceptance of List B expired documents in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. List B...more
Updated April 22, 2020: In live remarks during an April 21, 2020 coronavirus task force press briefing, the president provided more detail on the scope of the entry restrictions in the new executive order. Specifically, he...more
This article briefly summarizes the recent governmental guidance on Form I-9 requirements, travel, and visa processing and services, among other matters, in response to the national emergency caused by the COVID-19 outbreak....more
3/20/2020
/ Border Security ,
Canada ,
Consulate ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cross-Border ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Mexico ,
Travel Restrictions ,
U.S. Embassies ,
United States ,
USCIS
On March 11, 2020, the president signed a proclamation, Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus, that implements additional...more
3/16/2020
/ Best Practices ,
Business Travel ,
China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Health and Safety ,
Immigrants ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health ,
Risk Management ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Traveling Employee ,
Trump Administration ,
Workplace Safety