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 […]

Immigration Update – March 20, 2023

Headlines: USCIS Issues Policy Alert on Evidence for Employers’ Ability to Pay Proffered Wage – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated its guidance to discuss in more detail various types of evidence and explain how it reviews all evidence relevant to the employer’s financial strength and the significance of its business activities. LPRs May […]

Immigration Update – March 13, 2023

Headlines: USCIS Releases New Guidance, Resources for International Entrepreneurs – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued comprehensive guidance on parole for international entrepreneurs, and new entrepreneur resources. DHS Extends and Redesignates Somalia for TPS, Announces Student Relief – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to publish a Federal Register notice extending and redesignating […]

Immigration Update – March 06, 2023

Headlines: USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for Second Half of FY 2023, Announces Filing Dates for Supplemental Visas – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has received enough petitions to meet the H-2B cap for the second half of FY 2023. USCIS also announced the filing dates for supplemental H-2B visas for the remainder of FY […]

Immigration Update – February 27, 2023

Headlines: Biden Administration Proposes Controversial Rule on ‘Temporary’ Measures to Limit Asylum at Southwest Border – The Biden administration issued a new proposed rule that it called “temporary,” which introduces a “rebuttable presumption of asylum ineligibility for certain noncitizens who neither avail themselves of a lawful, safe, and orderly pathway to the United States nor […]

Immigration Update – February 22, 2023

Headlines: March Visa Bulletin Includes Updates on Visa Availability in Coming Months – The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for March 2023 includes updates on visa availability in various categories, including possible retrogressions in the coming months. E-Verify Recommends Timeframes to Resolve Certain Social Security Mismatches; Deadline is September 29, 2023 – E-Verify recommends that […]