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
In a Twitter announcement on October 15, the White House announced that the U.S. will introduce a new travel policy that will begin on November 8, permitting foreign nationals access to the United States provided they have...more
On September 20, 2021, the Biden administration announced that it would be relaxing its restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals to the United States commencing in November 2021. Not setting a date certain for now, but...more
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has mandated that all green card applicants for adjustment of status in the United States and immigrant visa applicants applying abroad at consular posts be vaccinated...more
Congress has mandated that in a given calendar year, 140,000 employment-based green cards will be awarded to companies sponsoring foreign nationals for permanent employment in the United States. This mandate is effective on...more
8/26/2021
/ EB-1 ,
EB-2 ,
EB-3 ,
EB-4 ,
EB-5 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Popular ,
Visas
It appears that Presidential Proclamation 10143, which suspended direct travel to the U.S. from the Schengen countries, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Brazil, Iran, China and India will remain in place for the time being,...more
On April 27, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated the USCIS Policy Manual in a Policy Alert to reinstate its policy of giving deference to prior determinations when adjudicating extension-of-stay...more