On May 4, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective immediately, it would increase the automatic extension period for employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain EAD renewal...more
Secretary Of Homeland Security Mayorkas Has Designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status for 18 Months, Commencing April 19, 2022 and Concluding on October 19, 2023....more
On March 16, 2022, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas designated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. Temporary Protected Status is only granted to individuals already residing...more
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) has begun the process of implementing a federal court order following a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security relating to the immediate ability of L and E spouses...more
Effective January 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security updated and expanded the list of STEM fields of study falling within the regulatory definition of “STEM field.” The list, known as the “DHS Stem Designated...more
1/25/2022
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
F-1 Visa ,
Federal Register ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Students ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Joe Biden ,
SEVP ,
STEM ,
USCIS
On November 19, U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) announced it had completed a third H-1B lottery selection for the fiscal year 2022 cap. This is the third H-1B lottery selection this year. USCIS allows for 85,000 H1-B...more
11/23/2021
/ Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Fees ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On the latest Law Brief® episode, Immigration Partner Roxanne Levine joins Partner and Host Rich Schoenstein to delve into the new administration’s approach to U.S. immigration policy in 2021. They explore the impact of the...more
4/15/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity Lottery ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Visas
In August 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced the Public Charge Final Rule, which required applicants for adjustment of status in the United States to submit Form I-944, ‘Declaration of...more
Rescission Of Presidential Proclamation 10014 – Travel Ban For Immigrant Visa Applicants
On February 24, President Biden issued a Proclamation revoking the immigrant visa ban that suspended foreign nationals’ entry to...more
2/26/2021
/ Australia ,
Biden Administration ,
Citizenship ,
Diversity ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Revocation ,
SCOTUS ,
USCIS ,
Visas
With the new Biden administration at the helm, we note that the H-1B final midnight regulations promulgated Friday, January 15, 2021, by the former administration have been rescinded. Those regulations, which set up a...more
Immigration partner Roxanne Levine joined Litigation partner and host Rich Schoenstein to discuss the new filing process for H-1B visas, which provide a nonimmigrant temporary visa category for certain foreign nationals that...more
8/31/2020
/ Diversity Lottery ,
Filing Requirements ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman's office disclosed in an alert on July 21, 2020, that the agency was experiencing card production delays. The alert revealed that in June 2020, USCIS terminated a...more
Premium processing, the vehicle utilized by many U.S. petitioners filing for nonimmigrant and immigrant-based benefits, is being resumed by U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) with a phased-in approach commencing...more
U.S. Department of Labor changes regulations relating to H-1B, H-1B1 and E3 workers transferred to locations outside the intended metropolitan statistical area ("MSA").
•In an unprecedented move, The U.S. Department of...more
On March 18, the President ordered that by mutual consent, with the government of Canada, our country will close its northern border to non-essential traffic. The President confirmed that trade will not be affected. Details...more
The Public Charge Rule, denying permanent residence status to immigrants who may use public benefits, will be implemented by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on February 24.
The Supreme Court has now...more
U.S. employers are gearing up for H-1B cap season, which has traditionally commenced on April 1 each year. This year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced an unprecedented procedure - an electronic...more
A seemingly benign application form known as the DS-160 nonimmigrant visa application form is completed online by all applicants seeking to work in temporary visa status in the United States. The form, available on the...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule requiring employers to pay a $10.00 non-refundable fee for each H-1B cap registration submitted, once the electronic system is implemented. This final...more
New regulations proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are slated to take effect for the 2021 H-1B cap filing period, which starts on April 1, 2020.
Proposed in January 2019, the new regulations mandate that...more
The Public Charge Rule, which had been scheduled to be implemented on October 15, 2019, was halted by U.S. District Courts in New York, California and Washington state late last week.
The preliminary injunctions issued in...more
On Friday, October 4, President Trump issued an unexpected proclamation ordering consular officials to bar immigrants seeking to live in the United States unless they "will be covered by approved health insurance" or can...more
On October 2, this year's Diversity Lottery Registration Program (DV lottery) becomes available to applicants from eligible countries. You can enter the DV lottery here. Entries can only be submitted electronically. All...more
On June 17, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it is embarking upon a strategy to decrease processing times based on location for applications for U.S. citizenship and applications for adjustment of...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its Spring 2019 Regulatory Agenda, announcing the agency's priorities and how it plans to continue furthering the current administration's immigration-related goals....more
6/27/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
F-1 Visa ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
I-485 Applications ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Registration Fees ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas