PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Gavels & Gowns - Enforcement on Campus: The Impact of New Immigration Priorities on Academia
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 273: Quick Tips -- Mastering the Bar Exam as an ESL or Foreign-Trained Student
Harvard/MIT Student Visa Case
Nota Bene Episode 91: China Q3 Check In - Trade Wars, GDP Growth, Pandemic Comparatives, and Hong Kong with Michael Zhang
Update from Washington: Employer's Preview of Immigration Restrictions from the Administration
Nota Bene Episode 77: Labor, Employment, and Immigration in a Pandemic World with Kelly Hensley, Denise Giraudo, and Greg Berk
The last three months have been a rollercoaster ride for employers trying to determine whether certain employees will retain work authorization. The Trump administration is pushing for significant changes affecting employees...more
On July 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added the category of Environmental/Natural Resource Economics (03.0204) as a qualifying field of study to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. DHS did...more
Because of ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia and Gaza, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced relaxed employment authorization standards for Ethiopian and Palestinian F-1 students who are eligible for work...more
The Supreme Court of the United States has declined to hear a challenge to a visa program that allows foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities to work in the United States for up to three years. The...more
A lawsuit filed on August 10, 2023 against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleges that the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 702, by exceeding its authority and determining that a...more
On July 12, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added eight fields of study to the Designated Degree Program List qualifying F-1 students to secure a STEM OPT (science, technology, engineering, mathematics...more
USCIS has expanded premium processing for F-1 students to pending Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) applications based on Optional Practice Training (OPT) and STEM OPT. On April 3, 2023, the same will be extended to...more
On March 6, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced “the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science,...more
USCIS recently settled a class action lawsuit regarding lengthy delays in processing of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) applications for individuals in F-1 student status. The settlement is welcome news to F-1...more
On April 12, 2021 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are...more
On February 26, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was offering additional flexibility for international students affected by the delayed issuance of receipt notices for Form I-765,...more
The ability of foreign students in F-1 status to participate in post-completion Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) in their fields of study is an important aspect of their education–an opportunity that draws many foreign...more
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced changes that will be good news for foreign students seeking Optional Practical Training in areas related to their major areas of study. First, the 14...more
Foreign students wishing to study in this country may have whiplash over the Trump Administration’s many moves. Early in 2020, a federal court blocked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from changing the rules...more
The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows F-1 students to work for 12 months after graduation (in most situations). F-1 students with U.S. degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM degrees) may...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has instituted a new compliance activity which could surprise the unprepared employer who has hired a recent graduate on Optional Practical Training (OPT). The site visits are...more
USCIS recently issued a reminder for F-1 students that transferring to another education institution or beginning studies at another educational level automatically terminates Optional Practical Training (OPT) as well as the...more
U.S. employers who sponsor foreign workers for temporary H-1B work visas should start preparing now for the upcoming H-1B cap filing season commencing this year on Monday, April 2, 2018. Employers should start identifying...more
More than 10 days have passed since the election results were revealed, and the United States now has a businessman as its president-elect ready to take office on January 20, 2017. However, despite his business background, it...more
Due to recent changes in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, F-1 students currently participating in the STEM OPT extension are eligible to apply for an additional 7-months of work authorization. The deadline to...more
On March 11, 2016, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule pertaining to optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics...more
This advisory summarizes key travel and employment issues if you are an F-1 student with Optional Practical Training (OPT) employment eligibility and an H-1B change of status filing on your behalf has been accepted by US...more
As of May 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded the time period during which a foreign student with a degree from a U.S. university in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field may...more
The U.S. government never gives without getting something in return, and the same is true with the new STEM 24-month, Optional Practical Training (OPT) Program. On March 11, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published...more
Both F-1 students and employers have been following the litigation over the F-1 OPT (optional practical training) program. The government was sued by tech workers in Washington, D.C. regarding a part of this program, the...more