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
Partial Federal Government Shutdown and How It Applies to an Immigration Workforce -
On December 22, 2018, the United States government began its shutdown based on the inability of the Executive Office and Congress to...more
1/25/2019
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-Verify ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Federal Budget ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Shutdown ,
H-1B ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
PERM ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
New Version of the Labor Condition Application Must Be Used Starting November 19 -
On November 19, 2018, a new ETA Form 9035, Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers (“LCA”), will be fully implemented and “go...more
According to multiple new press reports, and as part of the continuing trade tensions between the United States and China, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) has issued guidance to consular officers that will impact U.S....more
With the threat of a federal government shutdown distinctly on the horizon, it is important to consider the implications this may have on the immigration process. As our readers know, there are many federal agencies involved...more
The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) recently updated its Foreign Affairs Manual (“FAM”) guidance regarding what the agency perceives as “willful misrepresentations.” The guidance revises what was previously known as the...more
On October 16, 2017, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) announced that the entry period for the DV-2019 Diversity Visa (“DV-2019”) lottery that was supposed to start on October 3, 2017, has been closed due to technical...more
USCIS Anticipates Resuming H-1B Premium Processing on October 3, 2017 -
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has advised the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) that it anticipates resuming...more
USCIS Releases Revised Version of Form I-9 and Accompanying Form I-9 Handbook for Employers -
On July 17, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released a new version of Form I-9. Form I-9 is used...more
7/21/2017
/ Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Executive Orders ,
Form I-9 ,
H-2B ,
International Entrepreneur Rule ,
NAFTA ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visa Waiver Program
President Trump Notifies Congress of Intent to Renegotiate NAFTA -
On May 18, 2017, President Trump officially notified Congress of the administration’s intention to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement...more
6/2/2017
/ Conrad 30 Waiver ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
F-1 Visa ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Joint Employers ,
Mobile Devices ,
NAFTA ,
Popular ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
TN-Visas ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On January 27, 2017, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” (“EO”). In pertinent part, the EO...more
2/7/2017
/ Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
Immigrants ,
New Guidance ,
Refugees ,
Travel Ban ,
TRO ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS
Now that the election is over, focus turns to the U.S. immigration policy of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s administration over the next four years. Forecasts of this type are never easy with any new President; the task is...more
11/22/2016
/ Barack Obama ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
DACA ,
DAPA ,
Deportation ,
E-Verify ,
EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
Executive Orders ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Students ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
I-140 ,
Immigration Reform ,
Inspections ,
L-1B ,
NAFTA ,
OPT ,
PERM ,
Popular ,
STEM ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Vacated ,
Work Visas ,
Workplace Investigations
I. U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on Obama Immigration Plan -
On January 19, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the Obama administration’s appeal from the Fifth Circuit decision that enjoined implementation of its...more
1/27/2016
/ Deportation ,
Discrimination ,
E-Verify ,
Executive Orders ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Passports ,
Safe Harbors ,
SCOTUS ,
Simeio ,
STEM ,
US Department of State ,
Visa Caps ,
Wage and Hour
The Department of State (“DOS”) just released its instructions for the DV-2017 Diversity Visa (“DV-2017”) lottery. The registration period begins on Thursday, October 1, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. EDT (GMT-4) and concludes on...more
The U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) just issued a revised October 2015 Visa Bulletin. As we noted in our last Alert, the DOS recently changed the format of its Visa Bulletin to add cutoffs for application dates. These are...more
On September 9, 2015, the U.S. Department of State (“DOS”) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) jointly announced revisions to the process for determining visa availability that will speed up the...more
I. USCIS Issues Guidance on When an Amended H-1B Petition Is Required After Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC -
On July 21, 2015, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) released a policy memorandum...more
8/17/2015
/ Classification ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EB-5 ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Labor Contractor ,
Misclassification ,
OCAHO ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Waivers
Happy New Year!!!
All of us in the Immigration Law Group at Epstein Becker Green wish you the very best for a healthy and prosperous 2015. We hope that all your petitions and applications are approved and that...more
1/19/2015
/ Barack Obama ,
Executive Orders ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
J-1 Visas ,
OPT ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Bulletins ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
I. H-1B Nonimmigrant Season Opens on April 1, 2014, for Fiscal Year 2015 -
As most H-1B employers know, there is an annual quota on the number of new H-1B petitions that can be approved each federal fiscal year. The...more
2/4/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
E-2 ,
E-3 ,
Employee Rights ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
OCAHO ,
Termination ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
I. USCIS Instructs on Immigration Benefits for Same-Sex Spouses -
On June 26, 2013, the Supreme Court of the United States ("SCOTUS") held that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act ("DOMA") was unconstitutional....more
10/30/2013
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discrimination ,
DOMA ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
Marriage ,
Same-Sex Marriage ,
SCOTUS ,
US Department of State ,
US v Windsor ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The looming prospect of a Government shutdown will have a significant impact on the immigration process. Activities of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be largely unaffected because it is funded by...more
In This Issue: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Debate Begins! USCIS Reports That H-1B Cap Is Reached in First Week; New Form I-9 Becomes Effective on May 7, 2013; CBP Announces Form I-94 Automation; DOS Permits Access to...more
5/2/2013
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Discrimination ,
EB-5 ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Form I-9 ,
Fraud ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas