On March 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unexpectedly announced that it will temporarily suspend its premium processing service for all H-1B petitions received on or after April 3, 2017. The premium...more
On August 17, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memorandum aiming to clarify the standard required for L-1B specialized knowledge visas. The memorandum notably begins by reminding...more
On May 2, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that data entry for all FY 2015 H-1B cap petitions has been completed. The agency will now begin to reject and return all H-1B cap-subject petitions...more
The U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Visa Bulletin sets out per country priority dates that regulate when an individual can begin the final phase of the “green card” process, either through adjustment of status or consular...more
An important issue for many employers that use electronic I-9 systems is the pre-population of employee information in Section 1 of the I-9 form by electronic I-9 programs. Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, is...more
A recent interim policy memorandum, released by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), clarifies the degree completion requirements for the 17-month extension of Optional Practical Training (OPT) available to...more
Since the creation of the L visa category in 1970, the L-1 statutory provisions have been modified several times. In recent years, L-1 cases have been subject to heightened scrutiny both by the U.S. Citizenship and...more
The L visa allows qualifying multinational companies with a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate abroad to transfer managers and executives (L-1A) and employees with “specialized knowledge” (L-1B) to work in the United...more