January 22, 2021
The U.S. Department of State released the February 2021 Visa Bulletin. The USCIS has indicated that it will accept adjustment of status applications pursuant to Final Action Dates (Chart A) for February 2021. For more information, please visit the USCIS website. FINAL ACTION DATES (Chart A): The employment-based categories in the Final Action Dates (Chart A) remained largely ...
January 22, 2021
With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information ...
January 22, 2021
On Thursday, January 21, President Joseph R. Biden signed “Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel.” The executive order outlines measures to prevent the ongoing spread of COVID-19, particularly as it relates to travel within the United States and to the United ...
January 20, 2021
On Monday night, the Biden transition team announced that President-elect Joe Biden would introduce a significant immigration legislative package on his first day in office, Wednesday, January 20, 2021. According to reports from within the transition team, President-elect Biden's multi-faceted plan includes the following: Legal Immigration ...
January 13, 2021
With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information ...
January 12, 2021
The US Labor Department announced a new final rule on Tuesday that would raise the wage requirements for foreign nationals with high-skilled worker visas. DOL's new final rule follows earlier attempts to raise the prevailing wage rates. As recently as December 2020, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. ...
January 8, 2021
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish a Final Rule on January 8, 2021, to select H-1B cap-subject registrations based on the highest corresponding Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage levels. Summary On January 8, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is scheduled to publish a Final ...
December 28, 2020
On Wednesday, December 23, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) extended the flexibility of the requirements for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions. The temporary requirement flexibility has been extended to January 31, 2021. The requirements ...
December 8, 2020
With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information ...
December 4, 2020
With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information ...
December 3, 2020
On Wednesday, the US Senate unanimously passed bill S.386, also known as the ‘Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act,’ which, if approved by the House and signed by the President, could change the timeline and backlog for thousands waiting for a green card. The 'Fairness for High-Skilled ...
December 3, 2020
On Thursday, the Trump Administration issued new rules to restrict travel to the US from China for members of China’s Communist Party and families. The policy would significantly reduce the length of the B-1 and B-2 non-immigrant business and tourist visas from 10 years to ...
November 30, 2020
With our mission to uncomplicate the complicated, we’ve always thought of our work in immigration as people-first. Our goal is for these updates to make sense of the changes happening across the world. Please share these updates with your colleagues who may find this information ...
November 25, 2020
On Monday, President Donald Trump issued a new temporary rule to pilot a program that would require tourist and business travelers from 24 countries with higher rates of visa overstay — mostly in Africa — to pay a bond as much as $15,000. The US State ...
November 21, 2020
The U.S. Department of State released the December 2020 Visa Bulletin. For December 2020, USCIS has indicated that it will accept adjustment of status applications pursuant to the Date of Filing Chart (Chart B). For more information, please visit the USCIS website. FINAL ACTION DATES (Chart ...
November 2, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Proposed Rule to select H-1B cap-subject registrations based on the highest corresponding Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) wage levels. Summary: On November 2, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Proposed Rule, titled Modification of Registration Requirement for Petitioners ...
October 29, 2020
November 2020 Visa Bulletin Released USCIS has indicated that it will adopt Chart B – Date of Filing Chart for the Month of November. For more information, please visit the USCIS website. The Final Action Dates for employment-based categories see slight movement and the Dates of Filing for employment-based visa application remain unchanged in ...
October 21, 2020
Following the two rule changes from DOL and DHS that will significantly reshape the H-1B specialty occupation visa program, a group of technology consulting firms has filed the first (of what is expected to be many) lawsuits. In the lawsuit introduced on Friday, ITServe alleges that the ...
October 16, 2020
As previously reported, H.R.8337 - Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act, signed into law on October 1, allows USCIS to increase the fees for premium processing. On Friday, October 16, USCIS announced that from Monday, October 19, the agency's fee increases would go into ...
October 12, 2020
On Friday, October 8, 2020, the Department of State (DOS) updated their guidance regarding the recent injunction issued pursuant to the California federal court's order in the National Association of Manufacturers v. Department of Homeland Security. By way of background, on October 1, 2020, a federal ...
October 6, 2020
On Tuesday, the Trump Administration announced two rule changes that will significantly reshape the H-1B specialty occupation visa program. In a press release, the Department of Homeland Security announced an interim final rule (IFR) that reduces the types of jobs that qualify for the visa program. The DHS rule ...
October 5, 2020
On September 29, Judge Jeffrey White of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a nationwide preliminary injunction staying the ‘Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus.’ As previously reported, the Proclamation, which ...
October 2, 2020
On September 30, 2020, the President signed H.R. 8337 the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act. While USCIS has not decided when the Act will go into effect, it is important to understand its implications. The Act increases the fee of all petitions that ...
September 28, 2020
The Department of Homeland Security through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), is proposing to change the admission period of F, J, and I nonimmigrants from duration of status to an admission for a fixed time period. Previously: Nonimmigrants in the category of F, J, and I ...
September 28, 2020
In the eve of fiscal year 2021, which begins October 1, 2020, all categories of the October visa bulletin – both Final Action and Date of Filing Charts - have advanced at a rapid pace. Please note, that USCIS has indicated that it will adopt Chart ...
September 11, 2020
On Wednesday, the CDC released a media alert outlining changes to the US government’s Entry Strategy for International Passengers. Beginning September 14, the government will suspend the requirements that directed flights carrying passengers from certain countries to land at one of 15 designated airports and the ...
September 11, 2020
On Friday, September 4, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced a proposal that would allow the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to increase the biometric data the agency collects from immigrants. The proposal includes adding iris scans and facial recognition to the biometric ...
August 25, 2020
On Monday, August 24, USCIS announced the implementation of official changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program first introduced in July. As outlined in the memo, first-time DACA applicants will be rejected, and existing DACA holders will have to renew their status ...
August 25, 2020
Acting Head of USCIS Joseph Edlow has confirmed that USCIS will not proceed with furloughing 70% of its staff at the end of the month. The agency still requires congressional intervention to sustain it through fiscal year 2021, and a furlough may still be a ...
August 13, 2020
On August 12, 2020, the Department of State issued updated guidance regarding national interest exceptions noted in President Trump's proclamations suspending entry of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. As previously noted, those individuals in H-1B, H-2B, H-4, J-1, J-2, L-1, and L-2 status who were in ...