The U.S. Department of State (DOS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have indicated they will focus with more scrutiny on social media vetting for student and exchange visitor applicants. These...more
On March 12, 2025 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) amending the foreign national registration regulations to provide a new registration requirement....more
On his first day in office, President Trump signed a series of executive orders. One such order, entitled, “Protecting The United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security And Public Safety Threats,” is...more
2/18/2025
/ Compliance ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employment Policies ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigration Procedures ,
National Security ,
Risk Management ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The new Administration has taken immediate and swift action with the goal of reshaping our country’s immigration policies. Employers should be aware of how these changes will affect the workplace....more
1/28/2025
/ Border Security ,
Cartels ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-Verify ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Migrants ,
NAFTA ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
USCIS ,
Visas
This year’s H-1B Pre-Registration Filing Period is expected to run from early to mid-March 2025. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will announce the registration dates in the coming weeks. One significant...more
1/20/2025
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
Registration Fees ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The need for a modernization of the H-1B Program has been in the pipeline and in discussion throughout the Biden years, but only in the waning days of the administration did the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issue...more
On December 9, 2024, The Department of State issued two major revisions to its Exchange Visitor Skills list resulting in reducing the number of countries on the Exchange Visitor Skills List by almost half. Countries such as...more
12/18/2024
/ Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Physicians ,
Residency Requirements ,
Training ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Passport to Smooth Travels: Essential International Travel Checklist for the Holiday Season-
As the travel holiday season begins, clients are reminded of the following precautions to ensure a smooth travel experience during...more
The sponsorship of temporary, nonimmigrant work visas and U.S. permanent residence can be a tremendous lure for U.S. employers to attract and retain foreign talent— but it comes with a large price tag. Is a U.S. employer...more
9/9/2024
/ Adjustment of Status ,
Clawbacks ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
PERM ,
Sponsors ,
Visas
On June 20, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the extension of validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs or work permits) issued to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries...more
6/28/2024
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
El Salvador ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Honduras ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Nepal ,
Nicaragua ,
Sudan ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
USCIS
On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had selected sufficient H-1B visa preregistrations to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 regular H-1B cap (bachelor’s degree cap)...more
6/13/2024
/ E-1 ,
E-2 ,
E-Verify ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Form I-9 ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
L-1 Visas ,
Lottery ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On January 30, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the pre-registration filing period for the 2025 Fiscal Year H-1B cap submissions will take place from March 6, 2024, at noon ET to noon...more
On June 28, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a new online Biometrics Appointment Rescheduling tool, which allows immigration benefits applicants and their attorneys to reschedule biometrics...more
On January 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the dates for this year’s H-1B pre-registration filing period.
The H-1B Cap Season: March 2023-
The H-1B nonimmigrant visa is one of the...more
Over the past week, USCIS has issued several updates including the expansion of premium processing services and bundling of H-1B and L-1 Visa spouses requests.
USCIS Announces the Expansion of Premium Processing Services...more
Happy New Year! As we begin 2023, we would like to share the following recent U.S. immigration-related updates:
Nonimmigrant Visa Interview Waivers Extended Until December 31, 2023 On December 23, 2022, the U.S....more
Although the economic expectations for 2023 seem uncertain, demand for H-1B visas for skilled workers in the next year will likely remain high. As a result, we urge employers to start assessing their current and prospective...more
This week, the U.S. State Department has announced that the dates for this year’s Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery filings will officially open on Wednesday, October 5, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. EDT, with the entry period closing on...more
On September 8, 2022, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its long waited public charge rule. As outlined in our previous alert, in March 2021, USCIS rescinded its public charge rule, which...more
Consistent with its goal of removing barriers to legal immigration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued guidance and launched initiatives related to individuals in the science, technology,...more
On March 16, 2022, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas designated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. Temporary Protected Status is only granted to individuals already residing...more
Effective January 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security updated and expanded the list of STEM fields of study falling within the regulatory definition of “STEM field.” The list, known as the “DHS Stem Designated...more
1/25/2022
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
F-1 Visa ,
Federal Register ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Students ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Joe Biden ,
SEVP ,
STEM ,
USCIS
Background-
The H-1B nonimmigrant visa is one of the most highly utilized and sought-after temporary work visas and facilitates the employment of foreign nationals entering the United States to perform employment in...more
On November 26, the President issued a new Proclamation, to take effect on Monday, November 29 at 12:01 am, barring entry to foreign nationals, with few exceptions, who have been physically present in the past 14 days in...more
On November 19, U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) announced it had completed a third H-1B lottery selection for the fiscal year 2022 cap. This is the third H-1B lottery selection this year. USCIS allows for 85,000 H1-B...more
11/23/2021
/ Filing Deadlines ,
Filing Fees ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas