Quick Takeaways Almost 60% increase in Registrations received in March 2021 Selection rate approximately 26% Approximately one-third of Registrations submitted
April 15, 2022
Quick Takeaways Almost 60% increase in Registrations received in March 2021 Selection rate approximately 26% Approximately one-third of Registrations submitted
Quick Takeaways Australian Citizens to be permitted to travel using valid E-3 Visa and Form I-797 Approval Notices, even if
USCIS announced that current DACA recipients may now file online for renewal of their Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action
USCIS announced that USCIS officers are now instructed to waive interviews for Conditional Permanent Residents (CPRs) who timely file a
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the custodian of most immigration records. Among these are E-Verify records. Therein are
Green and Spiegel Attorneys, Stephen Antwine and Brian Halliday, earned a significant litigation victory in the Southern District of Ohio,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services can’t sweep aside a Russian worker’s “embarrassing” allegations of illegally retracting an approved petition for
The Departments of Homeland Security and Labor announced yesterday, March 31, 2022, that they would make an additional 35,000 visas
On March 31, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) announced the long-awaited reopening of U.S. NEXUS and U.S./Canada FAST Enrollment Centers in the United States. As of April 5, 2022, qualified new applicants for NEXUS – available for pre-screened Canadian Citizens entering the United States – and FAST – designed for truckers traveling between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada – may schedule an interview in the United States. And so long as they are otherwise eligible to enter the United States, they could appear at a reopened Enrollment Center as soon as April 19, 2022. Learn more in this blog.
On Tuesday, March 29th, USCIS announced that they had received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2023 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). The Lottery was conducted as a random selection of properly submitted registrations and the myUSCIS Portal has been updated. Learn more in this blog.
The United States grants nonimmigrant visas (“NIV”) to Treaty Traders and Investors and Intracompany Transferees. Those persons are permitted to work in the United States and, beginning November 12, 2021, their spouses were entitled to work as well. Learn more in this blog.
During the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic (“Pandemic”), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) treated List B identity documents which were set to expire on or after March 1, 2020, and not otherwise extended by the issuing authority, as if the employee presented a valid receipt for an acceptable document for Form I-9 purposes. This effectively permitted employers to postpone documenting a valid List B document until DHS terminated the exception, at the end of the Pandemic. Learn more in this blog.
Afghan nationals currently in the United States are now eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an initial eighteen months. Pursuant to this new designation, those Afghan nationals present in the U.S. as of March 15, 2022 are eligible to apply for TPS which includes protection from removal and eligibility for work authorization. Afghanistan is the latest country to be designated for TPS, following the Biden Administration adding the Ukraine earlier this month. Learn more in this blog.
On March 10, 2022 Congress passed an omnibus spending package that included provisions for both the reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, as well as modifications to both the Direct and Regional Center programs. The Direct EB-5 visa will now see adjustments to the number of visas of certain Direct projects, and now include visas authorized for participating in new “Infrastructure Projects.” Learn more in this blog.
On March 1, 2022, Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that as of February 25, 2022, it has received enough petitions to fill the 33,000 H-2B visas available for the second half of fiscal year 2022. Cap-subject H-2B petitions requesting employment dates of April 1, 2022 or later will now be rejected by USCIS. Learn more in this blog.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status will be offered to qualified Ukrainian nationals residing in the United States as of March 1, 2022. TPS is expected to protect thousands of Ukrainians from being returned to their war-torn country while concurrently providing work authorization. The grant of TPS is for an initial 18 month period. Learn more in this blog.
On Monday, February 28th, 2022 USCIS announced that it had received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach both the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for the fiscal year (FY) of 2022. Learn more in this blog.
During the pandemic it has been extremely difficult to schedule appointments to obtain nonimmigrant visas at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. Reduced staffing and COVID-related restrictions have resulted…
As previously reported, A recent settlement between the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
As our Australian clients are acutely aware, between limited, expensive, and frequently-cancelled-flights to the financial and psychological toll of a