Headlines: Scrutiny of Visa Applicants, Green Card Holders, Students, Exchange Visitors Heightened Under Trump Administration – The Trump administration is increasingly scrutinizing visa applicants and even permanent residents (green card holders) and has placed a “temporary pause” on certain green card applications “to do more vetting.” ABIL: Tips for International Travelers Entering the United States […]

Headlines: U.S. Arrests and Detains Permanent Resident Protester, Raising First Amendment Concerns – The Trump administration has said it plans to expand arrests and deportations based on foreign policy grounds. DOS Expands Foreign Affairs Functions Exempted From Public Notice Requirements; Significant Effects on Agency Rulemaking and Adjudications Likely – The declaration effectively constitutes an expansion […]

Headlines: President Trump Proposes ‘Gold Card’ Visa Program to Replace EB-5 Visa – President Trump said he wants to sell a “gold card” visa for $5 million to noncitizens, including both individuals and companies. The visa would include permanent residence with work authorization and a path to U.S. citizenship. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said […]

Headlines: March Visa Bulletin Announces Retrogression of EB-4 Category, Religious Workers Expiration – The bulletin announces retrogression of the final action date in the EB-4/SR categories. OFLC Announces Deletion of Older Records in FLAG System – Records more than five years old will be deleted from the Foreign Labor Access Gateway System beginning on March […]

FEATURE ARTICLE CLAWBACK CLAUSES: AN OVERVIEW –This article provides an update on clawback clauses in several countries. COUNTRY UPDATES EUROPEAN UNION – This article takes a look at the European Union’s (EU) stance on citizenship by investment, and temporary protection permits for Ukrainian nationals. ITALY – This article discusses what constitutes a “business” for visa […]

Headlines: The First Week: Round-Up of Key Trump Immigration Actions – This article summarizes key highlights among the flurry of immigration-related actions since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025. Senate Confirms Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary – The U.S. Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. She will oversee U.S. Citizenship […]

Headlines: USCIS Updates O-1 Guidance on Extraordinary Ability Evidence – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its policy guidance, effective immediately, to clarify how it evaluates evidence to determine eligibility for O-1A nonimmigrants of extraordinary ability, including adding examples of evidence for individuals in critical and emerging technologies. Cap Reached for Additional H-2B Returning Worker […]

Headlines: Recent Pro-H-1B Worker Comments by Trump Advisers Spark Public Backlash in Republican Party – Several top advisers to President-elect Trump have expressed support for high-skilled foreign workers coming to the United States on H-1B visas, but many Trump supporters strongly oppose immigration of any kind. New Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker To […]

Headlines: DHS Final Rule Updates H-1B Program, Form I-129 – The Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule, effective January 17, 2025, that will “significantly enhance U.S. companies’ ability to fill job vacancies in critical fields, strengthening our economy.” DHS Final Rule Updates H-2A, H-2B Programs – The Department of Homeland Security announced a […]

Headlines:   DOS Removes China, India, Others From Countries on Skills List for Exchange Visitors – The Department of State is updating the countries on the Exchange Visitors Skills List. DOS has removed China and India, among others, from the list. DOS is not updating the skills on the list.  FY 2025 H-1B Cap Reached, USCIS […]