On March 18, 2022, U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) published further detail relating to employment authorization documentation for E and L spouses. By way of background, in November 2021, USCIS reached a settlement...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
On January 28, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the registration dates for FY 2023 H-1B cap filings with the agency. Filing submission dates are March 1, 2022, at 12 p.m. ET and the registration...more
Background-
The H-1B nonimmigrant visa is one of the most highly utilized and sought-after temporary work visas and facilitates the employment of foreign nationals entering the United States to perform employment in...more
On December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it will temporarily suspend in-person interviews for some nonimmigrant visa classifications in order to expedite visa issuance as the pandemic heads into its...more
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 November 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its Policy Memo to automatically allow for employment authorization for dependent E, L and certain H-4 spouses of principal visa holders, and it...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to release new guidelines for employment authorization which will affect H-4 and L-2 spouses resulting from a settlement agreement reached in a federal court...more
On Friday, October 1, the State Department announced that the dates for this year’s Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery filings will officially open on Wednesday, October 6 at noon, eastern daylight time (EDT). The entry period will...more
Congress has mandated that in a given calendar year, 140,000 employment-based green cards will be awarded to companies sponsoring foreign nationals for permanent employment in the United States. This mandate is effective on...more
8/26/2021
/ EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Popular ,
Visas
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a recent change to its policy related to rescheduling biometrics appointments. Biometrics appointments are usually required by individuals applying for permanent...more
On July 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it was extending the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIE) for 12 months from the date of approval, and for multiple entries, as long as they are used for...more
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
The temporary work travel ban implemented by the prior administration in the summer of 2020 expired on Wednesday, March 31. Proclamation 10052 blocked foreign nationals in certain nonimmigrant workers, including H-1B, J-1,...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
On December 31, 2020, the outgoing President signed a Proclamation extending the suspension of entry into the United States to certain nonimmigrant visa holders to March 31, 2021. The visa categories affected continue to...more
Recent developments which are likely to have a dramatic effect on certain foreign workers seeking entrance to the United States occurred earlier this week with the introduction of dual regulatory changes by the U.S....more
On October 7, 2020, 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
With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing now for close to six months, U.S. permanent residents and conditional permanent residents caught outside the United States due to COVID-19 are experiencing significant challenges in making...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
On July 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of State (State Department) issued an update on its website which clarified the exceptions available to bans on entry to the United States for foreign nationals imposed by Presidential...more
An executive order further limiting entry for nonimmigrant workers in H-1B, H-2B, L-1 and J-1 status (and their dependents) will take effect on June 24, 2020, at 12:01 am and will remain in effect through December 31,...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
On Sunday May 24, 2020, the White House issued a Presidential Proclamation (Proclamation) suspending the entry of travelers who have recently been to Brazil. This will become effective on May 26, 2020 at midnight. This travel...more