Today, USCIS announced that it will be making additional selections from the FY25 H-1B registrations it received in order to reach the FY25 numerical allocation. The agency’s announcement was silent on timing, numbers and the...more
Updates to Kramer Levin’s Immigration Tracker System Two-Factor Authentication for Tracker Beginning on Monday, May 20, 2024, Tracker will require “two-factor authentication” in order to access our immigration system. We are...more
In anticipation of the upcoming U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) H-1B electronic registration process (see our prior client alert for details), we want to call your attention to an update that will affect all...more
Recently, USCIS published a final rule increasing certain government filing fees effective April 1, 2024. In addition, it announced a final rule that will increase the premium processing fees effective Feb. 26, 2024....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will hold the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2025 H-1B cap (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run). Registration begins at...more
In recognition of the hardships associated with visa processing abroad, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently announced a pilot program for the domestic visa renewal (“renewal in the U.S.”) for certain H-1B holders....more
The U.S. Department of State will begin accepting online registrations for the 2025 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at noon EDT. For Fiscal Year 2025 (FY2025), the DV lottery will allow a maximum...more
New version of Form I-9 to be released on Aug. 1, 2023
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced modifications to the Form I-9, condensing it to one page to make it easier for employers to use. The...more
Today, USCIS announced that it will be making additional selections from the FY24 H-1B registrations it received in order to reach the FY24 numerical allocation....more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently reminded employers that they must complete the physical inspection of I-9 documents that were inspected remotely under...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new process for obtaining temporary proof of LPR (lawful permanent resident, or “green card”) status for those who do not have valid green cards in their...more
USCIS has expanded premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT extensions. Specifically, for a fee of $1,500, eligible applicants can request that USCIS adjudicate their...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will hold the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run). Registration begins at...more
On Jan. 20, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to settle a class action lawsuit challenging H-4 and L-2 adjudication delays. According to this settlement, USCIS will now adjudicate I-539s and I-765s...more
Beginning Jan. 30, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept I-907 Premium Processing requests for all new and pending EB-1 Multinational Executive and Manager I-140 petitions and EB-2 National Interest...more
Effective Sept. 26, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) automatically extended the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (also known as Green Cards) to 24 months for lawful permanent residents who file Form...more
In a continued effort to streamline the entry process for travelers, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun to eliminate the issuance of entry stamps in the passports of foreign nationals upon arrival in the...more
In a long overdue development, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it is finally taking action in tackling its massive backlogs — a major problem that has plagued the agency for several years...more
On Jan. 31, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began endorsing the I-94s of spouses of E and L visa holders with new class of admission codes upon their entry to the United States. As we detailed in our Nov. 11, 2021...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will hold the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2023 H-1B cap (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run). Registration begins at...more
In our Nov. 11 client alert, we described the dramatic and beneficial changes to the employment authorization rules affecting dependent spouses of certain nonimmigrant visa holders. On Nov. 12, U.S. Citizenship and...more
11/17/2021
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Form I-9 ,
Form I-94 ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Spouses ,
Time Extensions ,
USCIS ,
Visas
President Biden issued a Presidential Proclamation that lifted the country-specific travel bans on international visitors to the United States from Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa and the...more
The White House has announced the precise date that it will lift COVID-19-related travel bans that apply to international travelers from more than 30 countries. Starting Nov. 8, 2021, travel bans will be lifted for fully...more
10/22/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity Lottery ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Travel Ban ,
US Department of State ,
Vaccinations ,
Visas ,
World Health Organization
In news welcome to both travelers and U.S. consular officers alike, the Department of State (DOS) announced yesterday that it would extend the validity of National Interest Exceptions (NIEs). By way of background, as detailed...more
Recently, New York became the 16th state in the United States to legalize recreational marijuana. We wanted to remind you and your employees that the use, purchase or possession of marijuana is still a crime throughout the...more