August ushers in a host of immigration-related news and updates, ranging from fine increases to wait times for visa appointments. Stay up-to-date with some quick notes on these issues.
DOJ Fines Increase as of August 1,...more
On May 13, 2016, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge ordered The Ruprecht Company, a meat processor and food manufacturer, to provide confidential immigration documents to the union and to rescind its participation...more
The long-awaited final rule on the F-1 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education) Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension, authorizing a new 24-month STEM extension for qualified foreign students, took...more
Further details have emerged regarding new U.S. rules restricting use of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan, as well as individuals who have traveled to these countries within the...more
On January 23, 2016, Judge Huvelle of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia granted a motion to extend the current stay of her prior order which will allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to utilize...more
Effective January 21, 2016, certain individuals are now required to apply for a visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy instead of traveling to the U.S. visa-free under the Visa Waiver Program. The change affects Europeans who...more
April 1 is the first day U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept H-1B cap-subject petitions for the 2016 allotment of visas for foreign national professionals in specialty occupations. Cap-subject H-1B...more
As previously reported in our legal update from September 10, 2015, the Department of State (DOS) made a major change to the Visa Bulletin in early September. Then, on September 25, 2015, that Visa Bulletin was rescinded and...more
On September 25, 2015, the Department of State issued a revised October Visa Bulletin which limits the number of people who will be able to file I-485 applications on October 1. This revised bulletin supersedes the bulletin...more
The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State began experiencing technical outages that prevent the issuance of passports and visas at every consulate and embassy around the world on June 15, 2015 — one-third...more
The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) is experiencing technical outages that prevent the issuance of passports and visas at every consulate and embassy around the world....more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a much-anticipated proposed policy memorandum on adjudication of the L-1B “specialized knowledge” nonimmigrant visa category. USCIS Director León Rodríguez said...more
The long-awaited final rule on H-4 work authorization has now been introduced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS Director León Rodríguez has announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)...more
In May 2014, DHS issued a proposed rule to amend current immigration regulations to allow for the employment authorization of certain H-4 dependent spouses. DHS accepted comments on the proposed rule until mid-July. ...more
President Obama issued a statement on November 10, 2014, that the U.S. and China have mutually agreed to increase the validity of tourist and business visas issued to each country's respective citizens. The White House notes...more
The August 2014 Visa Bulletin was recently released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS). As outlined in our June 10, 2014, legal update on this issue, the EB-2 category for foreign nationals from India pursuing the...more
The July 2014 Visa Bulletin has been released by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), and as reported by Charles Oppenheim of the State Department's Visa Office, the EB-2 category for foreign nationals from India pursuing the...more