On June 4, 2025, President Donald Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation aimed at enhancing national security by restricting the entry of certain foreign nationals into the United States. This action builds on Executive...more
6/9/2025
/ Employee Mobility ,
Employees ,
Employment Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Government Agencies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
National Security ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
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
Along with the New Year, January 1st also marks the implementation of a new Visa Bulletin by the U.S. Department of State....more
1/6/2025
/ Adjustment of Status ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-5 ,
Immigration Procedures ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Bulletins ,
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
The Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) is a law designed to help certain young people (children of immigrants) keep their eligibility for U.S. immigration benefits, even if they turn 21 years old during the application...more
10/8/2024
/ CSPA ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
Minor Children ,
Policy Updates ,
Retrogression ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
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
A recent update and clarification from the Department of State (DOS) on waiver eligibility expands opportunities for visa applicants facing difficulties in obtaining visa stamps for entry to the U.S. This clarification,...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
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: USCIS issued a Policy Memorandum following the settlement of a lawsuit that significantly changes work authorization rules for H-4, E, and L-2 spouses. Specifically, certain H-4, E, and L-2 Employment...more
As many of us started to think about weekend plans, this afternoon, USCIS promised us an interesting Monday with its latest announcement. Effective Monday, October 19, 2020, the premium processing fee associated with the...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 COVID-19 related changes in working conditions, furloughs and layoffs have on businesses with employees currently working on H-1B, H-1B1 or E-3 work...more
4/13/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
E-3 ,
Furloughs ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Telecommuting ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
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
In-Person Services Suspended Until At Least May 3 -
In response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) developments, as of April 1, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its office closures suspending...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
Seyfarth Synopsis: The outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in unprecedented travel restrictions, U.S. consular appointment cancellations, and changes to USCIS operations. To help navigate these...more
3/27/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-Verify ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-129 ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Procedures ,
PERM ,
Travel Restrictions ,
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: With a record $95 million plea deal for I-9 immigration violations following a six year investigation, the outcome for a Pennsylvania company with operations nationwide serves as a reminder of the federal...more
10/10/2017
/ Audits ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Form I-9 ,
Fraud ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) ,
Required Documentation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Visas