Seyfarth Synopsis: Canada to significantly alter the Permanent Residency eligibility requirements under the Express Entry points-based program.
The following alert is relevant to organizations with a presence in...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS releases new Form I-9, which employers must begin using no later than January 22, 2017.
On November 14, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised Form I-9,...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective December 23, 2016, the filing fees for many USCIS nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions and applications will increase.
The filing fees for USCIS nonimmigrant and immigrant petitions and...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Electronic Travel Authorization (the “eTA”), Canada’s new entry requirement for visa exempt nationals entering Canada by air, was announced in March 2016. The eTA effective date has been extended to...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Canada launched a new Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) that must be obtained by visa-exempt nationals entering Canada by air on or after September 29, 2016. Individuals requiring an eTA will not be...more
The following alert is directed to organizations with a presence in Canada or who anticipate the need to place talent at a Canadian work site.
1. Beginning December 1, 2016, Mexican Citizens Will Not Need a Visa for...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: New regulations will increase fines on U.S. employers for unlawfully employing foreign nationals and engaging in unfair employment practices related to immigration.
In the wake of the Bipartisan...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: USCIS completes the lottery process and receives more than 236,000 H-1B cap petitions.
On April 12, 2016, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received more...more
Seyfarth Synopsis in a Second: Visa Waiver Program travelers to the U.S. must now possess an e-Passport.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that effective April 1, 2016, in accordance with the...more
Seyfarth Synopsis in a Second: USCIS announced that the Fiscal Year 2017 H-1B quota has been reached.
On April 7, 2016, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received sufficient H-1B...more
On Thursday, March 10, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published the long-anticipated final STEM Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) rule in the Federal Register. The final rule will take effect on May 10, 2016. ...more
This Management Alert is intended to enable employers to identify any current employees and employment candidates who may require H-1B work permit sponsorship before October 1, 2017. We recommend that employers identify any...more
Strict New Penalties for Non-Compliant Employers -
The Government of Canada is increasingly focused on employer compliance and has implemented a number of initiatives since 2014, including the overhaul of the Temporary...more
On January 23, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a motion to extend the stay of vacatur of the current STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program until May 10, 2016, providing the...more
The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and Department of State (“DOS”) announced immediate implementation of the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. Under the Act, certain...more
On March 15, 2016, The Government of Canada will implement significant new entry requirements for those arriving by air. Currently, citizens of several countries require a Temporary Resident Visa (“TRV”) to enter Canada and...more
The Migration Advisory Committee (“MAC”) has published its recommendations following an in-depth review of Tier 2, which is the primary route for economic migration to the UK. The MAC is an independent advisory body...more
In recent weeks, there has been a noticeable increase in visa application processing delays due to Section 221(g), otherwise known as “Administrative Processing.” Ramped up fraud prevention and related security procedures...more
On Monday, October 19, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published its eagerly anticipated STEM Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) rule in the Federal Register for a 30-day comment period ending on November...more
10/22/2015
/ Accreditation ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Education ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Verify ,
Eligibility ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Students ,
Form F-1 ,
Mentors ,
OPT ,
Proposed Regulation ,
STEM ,
Time Extensions ,
Training Requirements ,
Visas
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced a fundamental process change to be implemented on October 26, 2015, which will directly impact Labour Market Impact Assessment-Exempt work permit applications, including...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent its proposed regulation on the STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) this week. A notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) is...more
10/9/2015
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Form F-1 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Lottery ,
NPRM ,
OMB ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
Visa Caps
On September 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released a revised Visa Bulletin for October 2015. This bulletin supersedes the October 2015 bulletin originally published on September 9, 2015. Following...more
Congress is currently at a budget standoff that threatens to shut down the federal government for the second time in two years, effective September 30, 2015 at midnight, the start of the new fiscal year. As with the last...more
9/23/2015
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Federal Budget ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Shutdown ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
LCA ,
OFLC ,
Passports ,
PERM ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Work Visas
In accordance with President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration proposed in November 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a new system for determining immigrant visa availability, establishing bifurcated...more
9/11/2015
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EB-2 ,
Executive Orders ,
Filing Deadlines ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Reform ,
India ,
Obama Administration ,
PERM ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Work Visas
In accordance with President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration proposed in November 2014, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is expected to announce a new system for determining immigrant visa availability,...more
9/9/2015
/ China ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Reform ,
India ,
Obama Administration ,
PERM ,
Popular ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visas