Headlines: DV-2020 Applicants Cannot Be Denied Visas Under COVID Guidance, Court Says – The order states that the government must undertake “good-faith efforts” to expeditiously process and adjudicate DV-2020 diversity visa and derivative beneficiary applications and issue or reissue diversity and derivative beneficiary visas to eligible applicants by September 30, 2020. Ninth Circuit Rules President […]

Headlines: DHS Sends H-1B, Work Authorization Rules to OMB for Review Before Publication – DHS has sent several rules to OMB for final review, including an interim final rule to redefine what constitutes an H-1B specialty occupation and an employer-employee relationship, and a proposed rule to eliminate eligibility for work authorization for certain people who […]

Headlines: EAD Printing Delays Lead to USCIS I-9 Policy Flexibility – Employees may present their Form I-797 Notice of Action showing approval of their I-765 application as a List C document for Form I-9 compliance until December 1, 2020. USCIS Reminds F-1 Nonimmigrants in Post-Completion OPT and DSOs of Severe Consequences for Not Entering Employer […]

Headlines: Executive Order Heightens Scrutiny of Contractors Employing Foreign Workers – The order instructs the Secretaries of Labor and Homeland Security to take action to protect U.S. workers from “any adverse effects on wages and working conditions caused by the employment of H-1B visa holders at job sites (including third-party job sites),” among other things. […]

Headlines: SEVP Issues ‘Clarifying’ Q&A for Foreign Students re Online-Only Coursework Visa Ban – SEVP released new guidance on the Trump administration’s shifting policy on foreign students taking online coursework in the fall. USCIS Postpones Staff Furloughs After ‘Surplus’ Memo Surfaces – USCIS announced that planned furloughs of more than 13,000 of its employees have […]

Headlines: SEVP Says F-1 and M-1 Students Attending Schools Entirely Online Due to Pandemic Must Not Enter or Remain in United States – In a move that stunned, dismayed, and confused international students studying in the United States, U.S. institutions of higher education, and others, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program announced that nonimmigrant F-1 […]

On June 29, 2020, President Trump issued an amendment to Proclamation 10052 of June 22, 2020 (Suspension of Entry of Immigrants and Nonimmigrants Who Present a Risk to the United States Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Outbreak).   The amendment changes Section 3(a)(ii) to read as follows: “(ii)   does […]

  On June 22, 2020, President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation further restricting immigration into the United States. The new proclamation is an extension of the previous proclamation issued on April 22, 2020 that suspends certain green card applications and limits highly skilled workers and several nonimmigrant visa categories. When Does the Proclamation Go into […]

Headlines: Anticipated Presidential Proclamation May Further Suspend Entry of Nonimmigrants, With Exceptions – A Presidential Proclamation is expected soon that may extend the suspension of entry of many nonimmigrants. USCIS Rescinds Restrictive H-1B Policy Memo Following Litigation – USCIS recently entered into an agreement with ITServe Alliance, Inc., an information technology trade group, to overturn […]

Headlines: Dept. of Transportation Allows Chinese Air Carriers to Enter United States Twice Weekly ‘In Aggregate’ – DOT is permitting Chinese air carriers, in aggregate, the right to operate two weekly passenger flights to the United States, effective immediately. USCIS Resumes Non-Emergency, Face-to-Face Services to Public – Certain USCIS field offices and asylum offices have […]