Another potential government shutdown may be on the horizon, as we await updates on the progress of the latest funding bill. Although already passed in the House of Representatives, an extension to continue funding the...more
3/13/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
EB-5 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
PERM ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
USCIS has announced the H-1B CAP lottery registration period for FY2026. The registration period will be from March 7th to March 24th; USCIS will issue selection notifications by March 31st, allowing petitioners to file H-1B...more
If you have been following immigration news and are wondering how changes in Washington might affect your workforce, you are not alone. Senate Joint Resolution 8 (S.J. Res. 8) in the 119th Congress aims to undo a USCIS...more
2/6/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Time Extensions ,
USCIS ,
Visas
An all too familiar countdown once again as we wait to hear the fate of the latest temporary extension to continue funding the government after midnight on Friday, December 20th. Employers should be aware that a shutdown will...more
12/20/2024
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Government Shutdown ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
OFLC ,
Popular ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
The Employment-Based First Preference (EB-1) immigrant visa category is designed to attract top and critical talent to the U.S. This category includes individuals with extraordinary abilities in fields such as science, arts,...more
October 1 marks the start of the government’s fiscal year, signaling the release of at least 140,000 new employment-based immigrant visa numbers to be allocated across categories and nationalities in the new fiscal year. ...more
Recent processing time trends at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) are raising concerns for both Employers and F-1 visa holders relying on automatic extensions of work authorization while awaiting the...more
As noted in our post in February 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule updating the H-1B cap registration process and creating a beneficiary-centric selection process. The rule took...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a Temporary Final Rule extending the automatic extension period for certain Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal applicants from 180 days to 540...more
In light of prolonged Department of Labor (DOL) processing times and recent regulatory settlements involving the DOL and Department of Justice, employers are reevaluating their approaches to securing permanent residence...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: President Trump issued a new entry ban directly affecting foreign nationals in H-1B, H-2B, J-1 and L-1 status. Below is a list of 20 questions and answers that have surfaced in the first 24 hours since the...more
6/25/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Seyfarth Synopsis: The President’s Proclamation will pause the issuance of immigrant visas for those seeking lawful permanent residence (Green Card) status through consular processing at posts outside of the U.S. for the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Following a late-night tweet from the President on suspending immigration into the U.S., we have learned today that the President’s executive order (“EO”) on immigration will be limited in scope. ...more
Seyfarth Blog Synopsis: In today’s posting we discuss the impact that furloughs and layoffs may have on F-1 student workers and related employer obligations....more
Following the lottery results issued last week, USCIS announced that H-1B petitioners may begin submitting petitions during the 90 day window noted on the selection notice. ...more
With the closure of Social Security Administration (SSA) offices in the wake of COVID-19, we are receiving questions concerning the impact on work authorization for individuals who may have recently entered the U.S. in a...more
3/31/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-Verify ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
I-94 Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
Social Security Administration (SSA) ,
Social Security Numbers ,
Temporary Work Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Following a six year investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit issued a statement confirming a guilty plea on September 28, 2017 by Asplundh Tree Experts,...more
10/25/2017
/ Audits ,
Buy America ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Workers ,
Forfeiture ,
Form I-9 ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Illegal Conduct ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) ,
Policy Violations ,
Raids ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Visas
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS released a revised version of Form I-9 that employers must use to verify identity and employment authorization of new hires effective September 18, 2017. There are no substantive changes from the...more
7/19/2017
/ E-Verify ,
Electronic Filing ,
Eligibility ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Required Forms ,
USCIS ,
Verification Requirements ,
Visas