On February 22, 2018, L. Francis Cissna, the Director of U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) announced a significant change to the agency's mission statement that aligns with the Trump Administration's "Buy American, Hire...more
States, counties and municipalities are all passing legislation opposing the Trump administration's crackdown on the undocumented. The latest includes Westchester County, New York, which approved a bill on March 12 protecting...more
President Trump has communicated his desire to cut down on family-based immigration, or what he calls "chain migration,” a longstanding pillar of the American immigration system that enables citizens and permanent residents...more
U.S. immigration news continues to make headlines. Here are some updates on how your business could be affected by them.
H-1B Filing Update-
H-1B cap season is well underway. We are planning to submit this year’s H-1B cap...more
On December 3, 2015, the "Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act" (FAST ACT) was passed by Congress and signed into law on December 4, 2015. An important, but widely overlooked provision of the law, which went into...more
On December 20, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) publicized a policy memorandum it originally released on November 20, 2017, narrowing the scope of those eligible for the TN Economist visa...more
On April 1, 2018, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting cap subject H-1B petitions for professional workers starting employment on October 1, 2018. In past years, the high demand for...more
On December 4, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration's current travel ban targeting people from six Muslim-majority countries to go into effect. The ban, which is the third iteration of travel restrictions...more
Despite the fact that the new administration has not had any legislative success in the immigration arena over the past year, U.S. Citizenship Services has issued many updated policy memos changing procedures and changed the...more
U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) rescinded its long-honored policy guidelines that were instituted in April 2004, and were in effect until October 23, 2017 regarding giving deference to the adjudication of prior nonimmigrant...more
The Trump administration proposes to make sweeping changes to U.S. immigration policies.
On October 8, 2017, the White House issued an Immigration Principles and Policies Statement, which was followed by separate...more
On Monday, October 16, the U.S. Department of State announced that due to a technical issue, the diversity lottery (DV-2019) entry period that commenced on October 3 has been closed. The Department of State further advised...more
On September 28, 2017, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman hosted a stakeholder call that offered more details about the new personal interview requirements for employment-based adjustment...more
On September 24, President Trump issued the "Presidential Proclamation Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats." This...more
The U.S. State Department administered DV Lottery Program awards immigrant visas (green cards) to individuals hailing from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. This year there are 50,000 DV visas...more
On September 5, 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, which was created by Executive Action in June 2012 will be terminated in six months. To date,...more
Two longstanding policies adhered to by U. S. Citizenship Services have been reversed by the Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Justice.
On August 28, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)...more
U.S. immigration law practitioners are expecting a turbulent fall ahead with upcoming H-1B adjudications challenges by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a suspension of nonimmigrant visa applications in Russia and...more
On August 2, President Trump unveiled the RAISE Act, a Republican-sponsored bill, co-authored by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Louisiana Senator David Purdue. According to The Washington Post, the bill's proposed changes...more
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a revised and updated version of Form I-9 that employers must use to verify identity and employment authorization of all new hires, effective...more
It has been a year of major policy shifts in U.S. immigration. In this alert, we provide an update on recent developments in business immigration in the United States.
The Supreme Court's Stance on Trump's Travel Ban...more
On June 6, 2017, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) will conduct increased enforcement efforts encompassing all of the foreign visa worker programs it administers, including...more
On May 4, 2017, the U.S. Department of State issued a notice in the Federal Register evidencing that it intends to carry out President Trump's goal of "extreme vetting."
While the administration's challenge to federal...more
On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed a new executive order, "Buy American, Hire American." With the stated goals of promoting economic and national security, strengthening the middle class and protecting the economic...more
On March 21, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released new restrictions on electronic devices carried on U.S.-bound direct flights from 10 airports in primarily Muslim countries. The ban prevents passengers...more