On July 17, 2025, the Trump administration formally submitted a proposal to overhaul the H-1B cap selection process, marking a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy. Currently, the USCIS conducts a random lottery to...more
7/23/2025
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Reform ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
On June 12, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially terminated the Biden-era parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV). This DHS notice revokes both their parole and their...more
6/17/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
China ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
Haiti ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Nicaragua ,
Popular ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Venezuela
OVERVIEW-
•The goal of this alert is to provide general information regarding entry into the United States as well as applicable information for various employment-based visa categories.
•Given the current climate in the...more
4/1/2025
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Documentation ,
ESTA ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Travel Ban ,
USCIS ,
Visas
OVERVIEW:
•On March 22, 2025, the Trump administration published a Presidential Memorandum titled: Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.
•The memo directs Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi to seek...more
UPDATE -
•We previously reported on the 2025 ETIAS launch and requirement to obtain approval prior to travelling to Europe.
•It was recently announced that due to additional technical issues, the new roll out for the...more
3/19/2025
/ Biometric Information ,
Border Security ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
ESTA ,
EU ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Travelers ,
Visas
OVERVIEW -
•Speaking to the press on February 25, 2025, President Trump announced an idea for a new “gold card” visa and pathway to citizenship for foreign investors paying $5 million.
•Additional information has not been...more
2/28/2025
/ EB-5 ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Investment ,
Fraud ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investors ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Today, Michael Schmidt is joined by two of his immigration law partners, Scott Bettridge and David Adams, to discuss the new immigration policy and initiatives under President Trump’s 2.0 administration and how employers...more
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issues six executive orders covering immigration policy decisions. A summary of these executive orders follows.
This executive order ends birthright citizenship for those infants who: (1)...more
1/23/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Border Security ,
Citizenship ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Donald Trump ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
Migrants ,
Refugees ,
Rescission ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Vetting ,
Visas
•Since the 2024 election results, no topic has come up more often than U.S. immigration.
•While this is all speculation based on information made public, it is fair to say that President-Elect Trump’s stance on immigration...more
11/21/2024
/ Audits ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Elon Musk ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS
On June 28, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule imposing increased fines on employers for failure to comply with I-9 regulations. In addition to higher fines, employers should expect an...more
Starting April 1, 2024, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will implement a meaningful fee increase, the first increase since 2016. Numerous case types and specific forms will receive significant fee...more
2/1/2024
/ EB-5 ,
Filing Fees ,
Form I-129 ,
H-1B ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
October 2023 not only provided amazing Halloween costumes but big updates to the United States and global immigration. The Cozen O’Connor catch-up this month highlights these changes and provides the details you need to...more
11/7/2023
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
ESTA ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Israel ,
L-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Residency Requirements ,
Sole Proprietorship ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas
September 2023 saw major changes and updates in the United States and around the world. The Cozen O’Connor Immigration Catch-Up this month highlights these changes and provides the details you need to determine how or if...more
10/5/2023
/ Asylum ,
Biometric Information ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
ESTA ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Israel ,
Refugees ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS ,
Visa Waiver Program ,
Visas
OVERVIEW-
• All US citizens (and non-European travelers) will need to plan ahead and obtain ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) approval before traveling to Europe.
• ETIAS will launch in 2024,...more
On Tuesday, July 25, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be issuing a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Form I-9 with a version date of (Rev. 08/01/23) will be available...more
7/25/2023
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Remote Working ,
Required Forms ,
USCIS
OVERVIEW-
•On January 3, 2023, USCIS published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to adjust certain benefit request fees that haven’t changed since 2016.
•Fee changes could dramatically increase both L-1 and H-1B...more
Recently, the USCIS has experienced increased processing times, forcing applicants for citizenship (filed Form N-400) to also have to file Form I-90 as well to extend their Green Cards and maintain proper, lawful status while...more
Florida has passed a new law effective January 1, 2021, that will make use of E-Verify mandatory for all government employers and certain private employers. ...more
On June 22, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation continuing Proclamation 10014 of April 22, 2020, and suspending and limiting the entry of any individual seeking entry into the U.S. in any of the following...more
6/24/2020
/ Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
As reported back in January, in the days prior to the numerous policy changes in both immigration and employment law, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a new version of Form I-9, Employment...more
President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation temporarily suspending entry into the United States of certain categories of immigrants (i.e. those seeking permanent residence)....more
On December 6, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it successfully completed the pilot testing for its online registration system that will be implemented in the 2020 H-1B lottery. This will...more
On January 5, 2018, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) kicked off two new “traveler compliance initiatives” aimed at assisting those travelers to the US on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)....more
The beginning of the calendar year is the perfect time for employers to begin planning for the FY2019 H-1B cap filing season, which will begin on Monday, April 2, 2018....more
1/25/2018
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Lottery ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The federal government shutdown came to an end as the House and the Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (the “CR”) which extended the Federal budget until February 8, 2018. The President signed the bill late Monday night. ...more
1/24/2018
/ EB-5 ,
EB-5 Regional Centers ,
Federal Budget ,
Foreign Investment ,
Government Shutdown ,
Green Cards ,
I-526 Petition ,
Immigrant Investor Program ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Investors ,
Job Creation ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas