As we previously reported, this summer, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced significant updates to enhance the employment verification process. In...more
When the pandemic abruptly shifted many employment relationships from offices and other physical workplaces to remote environments, many governmental and regulatory authorities responded by modifying existing protocols to...more
8/10/2023
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Required Forms ,
USCIS
National Interest Exceptions Issued for U.S. Entry from COVID-19 Restricted Countries/Regions Are Now Valid for One Year and for Multiple Entries -
In our May 2021 Immigration Alert, we reported that India was added to...more
Flexibility to Verify Forms I-9 Is Extended to August 31 Due to COVID-19 -
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) has announced another extension of its policy allowing special...more
6/17/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Form I-9 ,
SCOTUS ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
UK ,
USCIS ,
Verification Requirements ,
Visas
President Biden Adds India to List of Countries Subject to Direct Travel Ban Due to COVID-19 Beginning on May 4, 2021, at 12:01 AM ET, all nonimmigrants traveling from India will be banned from entering the United States,...more
USCIS’s FY 2022 H-1B Cap Electronic Registration Completed -
On March 30, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) completed the initial selection of H-1B cap-subject registrations for fiscal year (“FY”)...more
USCIS’s FY 2022 H-1B Cap Electronic Registration Begins Beginning 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT) on March 9, 2021, until 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT) on March 25, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will...more
3/12/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
E-3 ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
USCIS ,
Venezuela ,
Visas
Federal District Court in California Sets Aside October 2020
DOL and USCIS H-1B Regulations -
In last month’s Epstein Becker Green Immigration Alert, we reported that the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) and U.S....more
12/14/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
California ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Facebook ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Joe Biden ,
USCIS
Lawsuits Filed in California and DC Federal Courts Challenge New DOL and USCIS H-1B Regulations -
In October 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) each published...more
USCIS and DOL Will Implement Changes to H-1B Regulations
That Will Likely Be Subject to Legal Challenge -
On September 3, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) submitted an interim final rule (“IFR”)...more
10/9/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Updates to USCIS Policy on New Forms, Premium Processing, and Filing Fee Increases Take Effect on October 2, 2020 -
As previously reported in Epstein Becker Green’s August 2020 Immigration Alert, U.S. Citizenship and...more
9/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Filing Fees ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Permanent Residence Cards ,
USCIS ,
Visas
USCIS Will Increase Filing Fees as of October 2, 2020 -
On July 31, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) announced it will increase filing fees effective October 2, 2020. The fee increases will...more
8/12/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
DACA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Filing Fees ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
H-2B ,
Hong Kong ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Memorandum of Agreement ,
OFLC ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Trump Administration Amends Presidential Proclamation That Temporarily Suspends New H-1B, H2B, J-1, and L-1 Visa and Travel from Abroad -
On June 29, 2020, the Trump administration issued an amendment to Section 3(a)(ii)...more
7/9/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Furloughs ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
OFLC ,
PERM ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Presidential Proclamation Temporarily Suspends New H-1B, H2B, J-1, and L-1 Visa and Travel from Abroad -
On June 22, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation (“Proclamation”) suspending and limiting the entry of...more
6/25/2020
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing -
USCIS has announced here that beginning the month of June 2020, it will again start accepting certain petitions for premium processing. Premium processing was indefinitely suspended as...more
6/3/2020
/ F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
I-129 ,
I-140 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visas
President Trump Signs Executive Order to “Temporarily Suspend Immigration into the United States” -
On April 20, 2020, President Trump tweeted, “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to...more
USCIS Completes the Initial Selection Process -
On April 1, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (‘USCIS”) announced that the initial selection of H-1B cap-subject registrations for fiscal year (“FY”) 2021 was...more
Department of State Suspends Routine Visa Services -
On March 20, 2020, in response to significant worldwide challenges related to the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the Department of State announced that routine...more
On March 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced that it is temporarily amending the Form I-9 verification and reverification procedures that require company representatives to physically review...more
The Coronavirus and Its Impact on U.S. Immigration -
In last month’s Alert, we provided notice of the Trump administration’s presidential proclamation that indefinitely barred foreign nationals (not U.S. citizens or...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
2/12/2020
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Executive Orders ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Infectious Diseases ,
International Travel ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
USCIS Officially Releases Regulations Regarding
Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool for the FY 2021 H-1B Cap -
On January 9, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) officially released regulations to...more
USCIS Announces Implementation of Its H-1B Electronic Registration Tool -
After several months of vetting public commentary, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will roll out its H-1B electronic...more
12/19/2019
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Registration Requirement ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
USCIS Will Accept Only New Employment-Based and Adjustment of
Status Application Forms as of October 15, 2019 -
On October 8, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that will no longer accept...more
10/11/2019
/ Adjustment of Status ,
Comment Period ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-129 ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
I-485 Applications ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
L-1 Visas ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
New Guidance ,
OPT ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Registration Requirement ,
SEVP ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On March 19, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it will accept premium processing requests (i.e., Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service) for fiscal year (“FY”) 2020 H-1B cap...more