U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will hold the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2022 H-1B cap (from which the annual H-1B lottery will be run). Registration begins at...more
2/9/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
E-3 ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
We anticipate that in March 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will open the electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2022 H-1B cap for professional positions. Please review your employment...more
1/14/2021
/ Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
Registration Requirement ,
Travel Restrictions ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On Jan. 8, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule, effective March 9, changing the way the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will select H-1B cap-subject registrations. Instead of using a...more
On Dec. 1, the United States District Court in the Northern District of California set aside two Interim Final Rules affecting the H-1B program, holding that the Rules were promulgated in violation of the Administrative...more
12/4/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Motion to Set Aside the Verdict ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Without notice or the opportunity for public comment, as required by federal law, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a regulation that will significantly raise the minimum required wages for H-1B, H-1B1, E-3 and PERM labor...more
10/9/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
E-3 ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
PERM ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour
Asset management firms and hedge funds regularly employ the very best financial and quantitative analysts and IT professionals from around the world. To secure their services, firms must sponsor these highly talented...more
In a surprise move, the Trump administration has reversed its decision to bar New York state residents from Trusted Traveler Programs such as Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST. ...more
7/27/2020
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Enrollment ,
Immigration Procedures ,
International Travel ,
Membership Interest ,
Retaliation ,
Screening Procedures ,
Travel ,
Traveling Employee ,
Trump Administration ,
Trusted Traveler
USCIS Immediately Suspends Premium Processing for All I-129 and I-140 Petitions -
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premium processing service for all...more
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. consulates abroad, including in Europe, Australia, South Asia and South America, have closed — often with little or no advance notice. ...more
Late last week, Vice President Mike Pence announced that effective Monday at midnight, foreign nationals who have been physically present in the United Kingdom and/or Ireland in the 14 days prior to seeking entry to the...more
Last night, President Trump issued a proclamation suspending entry into the United States of all non-exempt foreign nationals who were physically present within the Schengen Area (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently provided additional guidance for the H-1B electronic registration process for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap, which begins at noon Eastern standard time on March 1,...more
2/20/2020
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Electronic Filing ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Job Applicants ,
New Guidance ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Implementation Act, which ratifies the trade agreement that will soon replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)....more
1/31/2020
/ Canada ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exports ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Workers ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Imports ,
Labor Regulations ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies
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
12/16/2019
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
E-3 ,
F-1 Visa ,
Filing Fees ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
Job Applicants ,
L-1A ,
L-1B ,
Lottery ,
OPT ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
TN-Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Vetting ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas ,
Work Permits
The U.S. Department of State has announced the opening of the registration period for the 2021 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. As in past years, the DV lottery will allow a maximum of 50,000 "diversity immigrants" to obtain...more
Earlier this month the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 1044), an act that would radically change the way employment-based immigrant visas are allocated by eliminating...more
7/26/2019
/ Administrative Backlogs ,
Country of Origin ,
EB-5 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Regulations ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Quotas ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Consulates Now Requesting Social Media Information From Visa Applicants A new State Department policy requires all U.S. visa applicants to submit information about social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter or...more
6/5/2019
/ China ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
No-Match Letters ,
Personal Data ,
Social Media Policy ,
Social Security Administration (SSA) ,
Social Security Numbers ,
Trump Administration ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is suddenly, and without advance notice, refusing to adjudicate and process L-1 petition renewals submitted by Canadian nationals at ports-of-entry (POEs) and at Canadian international...more
Last Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a significantly revised Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This application is used to change or extend the status of dependents...more
USCIS to Implement a Registration System for H-1B Cap Filings On Monday, Dec. 3, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposed regulatory rule to establish an electronic registration program for...more
12/5/2018
/ Comment Period ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 Visas ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On April 1, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting new H-1B petitions for professional positions. We note that these petitions will have a start date of Oct. 1, 2019....more
Earlier this week, the U.S., Canada and Mexico reached agreement on a new trilateral trade pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The agreement will be known as the United States-Mexico-Canada...more
10/3/2018
/ Canada ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Relations ,
Foreign Workers ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
TN-Visas ,
Trade Relations ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
US Trade Policies ,
Work Visas
The Department of State has announced the opening of the registration period for the 2020 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery. As in past years, the DV lottery will allow a maximum of 50,000 "diversity immigrants"...more
USCIS Extends and Expands Suspension of H-1B Premium Processing -
Earlier this week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will extend the suspension of Premium Processing for all pending FY...more
8/30/2018
/ F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
As explained below, we advise that a company may not have STEM OPT individuals at its work site unless it is a direct employer that is part of the e-Verify program. ...more