H-1B Navigators: Preparing for Cap, Registration, and Travel Amid Potential Election-Driven Changes
Law Brief: H-1B Visas – New Process and New (Upcoming) Deadlines
Benesch B-Cast 07: Immigration Deadlines and Demands Employers Need to Know
H-1B Cap Lottery for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Completed - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it has received sufficient congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and 20,000 H-1B...more
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
A federal district court has struck down a legacy Trump administration rule that would have replaced the annual H-1B cap lottery with a scheme to favor high-wage earners. If implemented, the rule would have adversely...more
Employers interested in sponsoring foreign national workers for new cap-subject H-1B visas this year need to be getting ready now. This past Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the...more
The Coronavirus and Its Impact on Those Traveling from China - On January 31, 2020, in response to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, the Trump administration, through Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex...more
Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that an H-1B cap registration system (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run) will be implemented for the upcoming fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers should identify as soon as possible any current employees and employment candidates who may require H-1B work permit sponsorship before October 1, 2021, given that it is anticipated USCIS will...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on December 6, 2019 that employers seeking to file H-1B petitions for the 2021 fiscal year cap will be required to first electronically register and pay a $10 fee....more
The New Year will bring significant changes to the H-1B lottery selection process and employers can look forward to a more efficient H-1B cap selection process. USCIS has announced the “Registration Requirement for...more
It’s the time of year when we stop to ponder some of life’s many mysteries. If you are an immigration lawyer or an employer who can’t find enough professional workers, one of those mysteries is why the federal government...more
• Prior to submitting petitions for H-1B visas, employers first will be required to register electronically with USCIS during a designated registration period. • DHS proposes to use a computer-generated process to select a...more
I. H-1B Visa Changes - H-1B visas are arguably the most common U.S. work visa applicable to all industries. Every year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has a limited number of H-1B visas...more
Proposed changes to the rule authorizing employment for H-4 status holders could spell an increase in H-1B petitions this upcoming fiscal year, and ultimately, increased sponsorship costs for employers. ...more
H-1B season is underway! U.S. employers can file for new H-1B visas on behalf of prospective or existing employees beginning April 2, 2018. The anticipated window for filing new H-1B petitions under the USCIS H-1B quota for...more
It’s the time of year when U.S. employers are preparing for the upcoming H-1B cap petition filing season. While it appeared that USCIS was considering revising the H-1B lottery process for this fiscal year by adding a new...more
On March 3, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it is temporarily suspending premium processing of H-1B skilled worker visa applications for up to six months, beginning on April 3, 2017....more
President Trump signed an executive order this week directing a full review of the H-1B visa program as part of a continued push to clamp down companies that hire foreign labor instead of American workers. The centerpiece of...more
On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed the "Buy American and Hire American" executive order (EO), which addresses H-IB visas. The EO calls for the application of existing U.S. laws to visa recipients and the revaluation...more
On April 18, President Trump signed an Executive Order labeled the “Buy American and Hire American” initiative. Federal agencies are already subject to certain laws and regulations which require or give preference to American...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7, 2017 that the agency reached the congressionally mandated number of 65,000 visa H-1B Cap petitions for FY2018. USCIS reported on April 17, 2017 that...more
On April 7, only five business days into the filing season, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had already received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to reach the statutory caps for both...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it will suspend Premium Processing of all H-1B filings starting on April 3, 2017. This includes all Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B cap filings, as well as H-1B...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, starting on April 3, 2017, USCIS will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B visa petitions. The suspension could last up to six months....more
On Friday, March 3, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that effective April 3, 2017, it will temporarily suspend premium processing for H-1B petitions. This suspension may last for...more
With the Trump Administration taking office, it is expected that changes to immigration policies will be carried out swiftly and, to a large extent, in an unapologetically straightforward manner. While the initial public...more