Immigration Update – August 14, 2023
Headlines: September Visa Bulletin Includes DV-2024 Results, Availability of Employment-Based Visas, Determination of Numerical Limit on Immigrants – The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for September includes Diversity Visa 2024 lottery results, availability of employment-based visas during September, and determination of the numerical limit on immigrants for fiscal year 2023. USCIS Reminds Employers About New […]
Immigration Update – August 07, 2023
Headlines: Second Random Selection Complete for FY 2024 H-1B Cap – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has completed the second random selection process from previously submitted registrations for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap. Justice Dept. Settles With Miami Manufacturing Group on Immigration-Related Discrimination Claims – Under the terms of the settlement, Mr. Glass Group […]
Immigration Update – July 31, 2023
Headlines: USCIS Will Conduct Second Random Selection for FY 2024 H-1B Cap – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will soon select, using a random process, additional registrations from previously submitted electronic registrations for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap. National Security Advisor Discusses ‘Legal Pathways Initiative’ With Mexico – U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan […]
Immigration Update – July 24, 2023
Headlines: Revised I-9 Form Expected August 1 – Among the updates is a checkbox employers enrolled in E-Verify can use to indicate that they remotely examined identity and employment authorization documents under an alternative procedure authorized by the Department of Homeland Security related to temporary COVID-19 flexibilities. USCIS Updates Visa Availability Approach for Managing EB-5 […]
Immigration Update – July 21, 2023
Headlines: DHS Adds Eight Qualifying Fields to STEM Designated Degree Program List – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has amended the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List by adding eight qualifying fields of study and a corresponding Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for each. August Visa Bulletin Announces Retrogressions in […]
Immigration Update – July 10, 2023
Headlines: State Dept. Clarifies India EB-3 Retrogression in July – The Department of State clarified the Final Action Date retrogression applicable to employment-based third preference (EB-3) visa applicants chargeable to India and explained the reason for prorating India EB-3 visas. USCIS Launches Online Rescheduling of Biometric Appointments, Releases Guidance on ‘Good Cause’ – U.S. Citizenship […]
Immigration Update – July 05, 2023
Headlines: Three-Day Filing Window Opens July 3 for H-2B Applications With October 1 Start Dates – The three-day filing window to submit an H-2B Application for Temporary Employment Certification requesting a work start date of October 1, 2023, will open on July 3, 2023, and close on July 5, 2023. OFLC To Provide Additional Info […]
Immigration Update – June 26, 2023
Headlines: I-9 Verification Flexibilities Ending Soon – Employers will have an additional 30 days to comply with Form I-9 requirements after COVID-19 flexibilities sunset on July 31, 2023. DHS Publishes Details of TPS Reinstatement/Extension for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua – Following the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) recent announcement reinstating and extending for 18 […]
Immigration Update – June 21, 2023
Headlines: DHS Reinstates, Extends TPS Designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua – The Department of Homeland Security has rescinded the Trump administration’s terminations of the temporary protected status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, and extended TPS for these countries for 18 months. USCIS Provides Guidance on EADs Based on […]
Immigration Update – June 12, 2023
Headlines: July Visa Bulletin Shows EB-3 Final Action Date Retrogressions for Multiple Countries – Retrogressions have been necessary for the employment-based third preference (EB-3) category for India, Mexico, Philippines, and Rest of World. DHS Updates Guidance on Parole Periods, Work Authorization for Certain Afghan and Ukrainian Parolees – The Department of Homeland Security has released […]
Immigration Update – June 05, 2023
Headlines: Boycott Florida? Truckers Protest New Law – According to reports, some Latino truckers are threatening to boycott Florida over its passage of a new law. FL 1718, effective July 1, 2023, imposes new penalties and restrictions on undocumented persons and their employers. State Dept. Updates Diversity Visa 2024 Guidance on Document Submission – For […]
Immigration Update – May 22, 2023
Headlines: Biden Administration Publishes Final Rule on Asylum Ineligibility, Seeks Comments – The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice published a final rule, “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways,” effective May 11, 2023. USCIS Updates Review Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an updated process for granting advance […]
Immigration Update – May 15, 2023
Headlines: As Title 42 Expires, Biden Administration Releases Final Rule on Asylum Ineligibility, Fact Sheet on ‘Additional Sweeping Measures’; Challenges Ensue – The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice released a final rule, “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways,” effective May 11, 2023. DHS and the Department of State also released a related fact sheet. June […]
Immigration Update – May 08, 2023
Headlines: Uncertainty Reigns as Title 42 Ends; Mayorkas Announces New Rule, Other Measures – Responding to reports of a potential surge of migrants at the southern U.S. border spurred by reports of the imminent end of Title 42 restrictions, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says the United States is ready. ICE Extends Form I-9 […]
Immigration Update – May 01, 2023
Headlines: USCIS Announces Results of FY 2024 H-1B Initial Registration Period Amid Fraud Concerns – USCIS said that the large number of eligible registrations for beneficiaries with multiple eligible registrations, which was much larger than in previous years, “has raised serious concerns that some may have tried to gain an unfair advantage by working […]
Immigration Update – April 24, 2023
Headlines: Form ETA-9089 Case Creation, Submission Available Soon in FLAG, OFLC Says – The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification will begin accepting the revised Form ETA-9089, Application for Permanent Employment Certification, in the Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system on May 16, 2023. Filers may begin creating and staging applications on April […]
Immigration Update – April 17, 2023
Headlines: Employers May File H-2B Petitions for Late Second Half of FY 2023 – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has begun accepting petitions for workers for the late second half of fiscal year 2023—those requesting employment start dates from May 15, 2023, to September 30, 2023—under the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule. OFLC Reconsiders […]
Immigration Update – April 10, 2023
Headlines: DOS Publishes Notice on Ukrainian J-1 Student Relief – The Department of State is extending Special Student Relief to eligible Ukrainian students in the United States on J-1 visas “to help mitigate the adverse impact on them resulting from the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022.” USCIS Allows Additional […]
Immigration Update – April 4, 2023
Headlines: H-1B Electronic Registration Selection Process Completed – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2024 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). USCIS Removes 60-Day Rule for Civil Surgeon Signatures on Form I-693 – U.S. Citizenship […]
Immigration Update – March 27, 2023
Headlines: April Visa Bulletin Shows Worldwide EB-4 Backlog of 5+ Years, EB-2 Retrogression – The EB-4 category, which includes special immigrant religious workers, now has a worldwide backlog of 5+ years. Also, the EB-2 final action dates for Rest of World, India, Mexico, and the Philippines have retrogressed several months to keep number use within […]