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
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
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
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
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
UPDATE-
•In an August 2023 Client Alert, we previously reported on the 2024 ETIAS launch and its requirement that travelers obtain approval prior to traveling to Europe.
•It was recently announced that due to a variety of...more
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 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
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
After a long wait, the U.S. Department of State has announced that a treaty investor agreement has finally been executed between Israel and the United States. Effective today, May 1, 2019, Israeli citizens may now apply for...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
As announced in our Immigration Alert posted September 18, 2017, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced the opening of the registration period for the 2019 Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Registration was set to begin...more
Immigration has been in the forefront of the news since President Trump took office and will likely remain so in the near future. Here, we discuss three key business immigration issues that have seen significant developments...more
2/15/2017
/ Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Yemen
On January 27, 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order (EO), titled, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” Among other provisions, the EO suspends immigrant and nonimmigrant...more
2/1/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen