Green and Spiegel U.S. Blog

USCIS Significantly Increases H-1B RFE Issuance in 2017

Jonathan A. Grode

USCIS Requests for Evidence (RFEs) for H-1B petitions have increased by more than 45% this year compared to the same timeframe in 2016, Reuters rep...

USCIS Re-Opens Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2018 H-1B Cap Petitions

Joshua H. Rolf

On September 18, 2017, USCIS announced the resumption of Premium Processing for Fiscal Year 2018 (“FY2018”) H-1B Cap Petitions, effective immediately. These Petitions, which must have arrived at USCIS between April 3 -7, 2017, include the 65,000 H-1Bs selected in the Regular Cap, and the additional 20,000 selected in the U.S. Master’s Cap....

REMINDER: EMPLOYERS MUST USE NEW I-9 EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION FORM AS OF SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

Andrew Clancy Rodgers and Matthew Galati

Starting Monday, September 18, USCIS will no longer accept previous versions of Form I-9 for Employment Eligibility Verification. As of this date, all employers must begin using the latest edition (edition date (7/17/2017) for all new-hire verifications. The new Form I-9 is available on the USCIS website. The revisions to the form were largely technical in nature. The specific modifications to Form I-9 have been documented in greater detail in a post we published on July 21. Contact Green and Spiegel today if you have any questions or concerns relating to Form I-9 or your company’s employment verification processes.

Pathways to Canada for “Dreamers”

In June 2012, President Obama introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in order protect children who had been brought t...

DACA RESCINDED WITH WIND-DOWN PROVISIONS

Dana Imperia and Jonathan A. Grode

Attorney General Jeff Sessions formally announced the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program today, with “w...

THE END OF DACA?

Dana Imperia and Jonathan A. Grode

A senior administration official told Fox News yesterday that President Trump is expected to announce the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood ...

USCIS to Implement Regular Interview Requirement for Employment-Based Immigrants in the Era of “Extreme Vetting”

Jonathan A. Grode

In the latest wave of the Trump Administration’s “extreme vetting” immigration campaign, USCIS has announced that all employment-...

US Visa Services in Russia Grind to Near-halt

In the latest development of changing US-Russian relations, the American diplomatic mission to Russia recently announced that as of August 23, 2017...

Green and Spiegel USA Celebrates its Five Year Anniversary!

    August 4, 2017 - It is with great pleasure that we announce that Green and Spiegel has reached another major milestone in the hi...

The Limited Return of H-1B Premium Processing

Joshua H. Rolf

As of July 24, 2017, USCIS will resume accepting Premium Processing for several H-1B Cap-Exempt Petitions. While USCIS’ April 3 suspension of...

Attention Employers: USCIS Released New Form I-9, Use Mandatory as of Sept. 18, 2017

Matthew Galati and Andrew Clancy Rodgers

This week, USCIS issued a new Form I-9 (edition date: 7/17/2017) that all employers must begin using for new-hire verifications starting on or afte...

USCIS Set to Expand H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Visa Program

Good news is on the way for seasonal and short-term employers in need of additional qualified workers, as USCIS and the Department of Labor jointly...

Trump Administration Set to Discard International Entrepreneur Parole Rule

Andrew Clancy Rodgers

In what will surely be a blow to the tech industry, which relies heavily on foreign-owned start-up companies as innovators and job creators, the U....

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES IMMIGRATION-RELATED DISCRIMINATION CLAIM AGAINST PANDA EXPRESS

Andrew Clancy Rodgers

The Department of Justice recently announced that it had reached a settlement agreement with Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. (Panda Express) over the ...

USCIS Resumes H-1B Premium Processing for Physicians under the Conrad 30 Waiver Program

Good news for healthcare providers, USCIS has now resumed premium processing for H-1B petitions filed under the Conrad 30 Waiver pro...

U.S. Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Trump Travel Ban Case, Reinstates Part of Ban

Jonathan A. Grode

In an unsigned, per curiam opinion issued today, the Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear the revised Trump Travel Ban cases ...

DACA Program Still Stands – Though It’s Future Remains Uncertain

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued guidance stating that the recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DAC...

Jonathan Grode Featured as Panelist on Cross-Border Perspectives, Philadelphia Bar Reporter

Jonathan A. Grode

As reported in the June 2016 issue of the Philadelphia Bar Reporter, U.S. Practice Director Jonathan Grode recently served as a panelist in a progr...

CBP Initiates new I-94 ‘Departure Date’ Feature

In its stated efforts to streamline the I-94 process, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has made it easier for travelers to check the end of...

Department of State Secures Approval for ‘Extreme Vetting’ Questionnaire

As detailed in an earlier post, On May 23, the Trump Administration obtained approval by the Office of Management and Budget to implement a supplem...