Headlines: COVID Vaccinations To Be Required for Many Green Card Applicants – Effective October 1, 2021, with few exceptions, those applying for permanent residence (green card) must be vaccinated against COVID-19, now classified as a “Class A inadmissible condition,” the CDC announced. Justice Dept. Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claims With Large Health Care Organization – DOJ […]

Headlines: USCIS Expands Partnership With Social Security Administration – Applicants filing for lawful permanent resident status can now apply for a Social Security number or replacement card as part of the adjustment of status application process. Visa Bulletin for September 2021 Released – The bulletin notes, among other things, that the Worldwide employment-based preference limit […]

Headlines: USCIS Conducts Second Random Selection From Previously Submitted FY 2022 H-1B Cap Registrations – On July 28, 2021, USCIS selected additional previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. The petition filing period based on registrations selected on July 28 will begin on August 2 and close on November 3, 2021. Consent Order […]

Headlines: New DACA Applications Blocked by Federal Judge – New Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications will not be allowed under a ruling by a U.S. district judge. The judge temporarily stayed his ruling for nearly 650,000 current DACA recipients. No Surprise: Ombudsman’s Annual Report Says USCIS Faces ‘Unprecedented Challenges’ Due to Pandemic, Backlogs, Financial […]

Headlines: Biden Administration Kicks Off Cross-Agency Naturalization Campaign – The Biden administration announced an interagency campaign to promote naturalization “to all who are eligible.” District Court Vacates Final Rule Affecting Wages for H-1B, PERM Workers; OFLC Updates Implementation – In light of delays and a June district court order vacating the final rule, the operative […]

Headlines: EB-5 Program Set to Expire June 30, Outlook is Uncertain in Short Term – The EB-5 regional center program, under which foreign investors finance projects in the United States in exchange for green cards, is set to expire on June 30, 2021. Whether Congress will be able to reach agreement on a plan to […]

Headlines: Cap Reached for Additional Returning Worker H-2B Visas for FY 2021 – Under the recently announced H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule, USCIS has received enough petitions to reach the cap for the additional 16,000 H-2B visas made available for returning workers only. USCIS continues to accept petitions for H-2B nonimmigrant workers for the […]

Headlines: DHS, DOL Issue Joint Rule Increasing H-2B Visa Cap – The Departments of Homeland Security and Labor published a joint temporary final rule making available an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural guest worker visas for fiscal year 2021 “to employers who are likely to suffer irreparable harm without these additional workers.” Of the supplemental […]

Headlines: President Biden Raises Refugee Cap to 62,500 in FY 2021 – President Joe Biden revised the United States’ annual refugee admissions cap to 62,500 for fiscal year FY 2021, with a goal of 125,000 admissions for FY 2022. DHS Will Withdraw Proposed Rule on Work Authorization for Certain Persons With Final Removal Orders – […]

Headlines: SSA Ends “No-Match” Letters – The Social Security Administration has ended the practice of sending employers “no-match” letters, called Employer Correction Request Notices. DHS to Make Additional 22,000 Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker Visas Available – In light of increased labor demands, the Department of Homeland Security announced a supplemental increase of 22,000 visas this fiscal […]