Headlines: 1. Kirstjen Nielsen Nominated as Secretary of Homeland Security -On October 12, 2017, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen for the position of Secretary of Homeland Security. 2. Lee Cissna Confirmed as Director of USCIS -The U.S. Senate confirmed Lee Francis Cissna as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on […]
Headlines: 1. Trump Administration Implements New Travel Restrictions -The Trump administration has announced travel and visa restrictions with respect to the countries of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, subject to “categorical exceptions and case-by-case waivers.” 2. Following Mysterious Attacks, United States Suspends Visas for Cubans, Withdraws Most Staff From Havana […]
Headlines: 1. President Orders End of DACA in Six Months, With Mixed Signals About Future for ‘Dreamers’; Two Lawsuits Challenge Program’s Termination -President Trump has ordered the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama administration program that allowed certain people who came to the United States as children to continue to live, go […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Denies Pending Advance Parole Applications for H-1B, L Applicants Traveling Outside the United States -Immigration lawyers are advising their H-1B and L clients to avoid traveling internationally while their advance parole applications are pending. 2. U.S. Nonimmigrant Visa Operations Suspended/Reduced in Russia -The U.S. embassy in Russia has announced that all nonimmigrant […]
Headlines: 1. Labor Dept. Announces Revisions to H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 Forms, Comment Period -Pursuant to a June news release calling for proposed form changes “to better protect American workers, confront fraud, and increase transparency,” the Department of Labor published a notice announcing its intent to revise its information collection for the H-1B, H-1B1 and […]
Headlines: 1. Sens. Graham, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan ‘Dream Act’ -On July 20, 2017, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the “Dream Act,” a bipartisan legislative effort that would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence. 2. DHS Increases FY 2017 Limit on H-2B Temporary […]
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Issues Guidance on Trump ‘Travel Ban’; Hawaii Motion Denied; More Court Action -The Department of State recently released guidance on President Trump’s “travel ban.” The Department’s guidance was issued following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling partially granting the government’s request to stay lower court injunctions against the travel ban. A federal […]
Headlines: 1. Supreme Court Partially Lifts Trump Travel Ban Preliminary Injunctions -The Supreme Court plans to hear arguments in the related cases in October brought against the Trump administration in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Fourth Circuits. 2. USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for H-1B Petitions Filed for Conrad 30 Medical Doctors, […]
Headlines: 1. Fourth Circuit Upholds Rejection of Trump Travel Ban -The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has upheld a nationwide preliminary injunction rejecting a substantial portion of the Trump administration’s revised executive order barring entry into the United States of people from certain countries. 2. DHS Extends TPS Designation for Haiti -DHS […]
Headlines: 1. Spending Bill Extends EB-5 Investor Visa Program to September 30; No Funding for Wall -The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 extends the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program through September 30, 2017. The legislation also provides a large border-security funding increase, but no funding for a border wall. 2. USCIS Completes Data Entry of […]