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 […]
Headlines: 1. President Trump Signs ‘Buy American and Hire American’ Executive Order -Among other things, the order calls for the Secretaries of State, Labor, and Homeland Security, along with the Attorney General, to “propose new rules and issue new guidance, to supersede or revise previous rules and guidance if appropriate,” to protect U.S. workers in […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Reaches FY 2018 H-1B Cap -On April 7, 2017, USCIS reached the H-1B cap for FY 2018. USCIS also received a sufficient number of H-1B petitions to meet the 20,000 visa U.S. advanced degree exemption. 2. USCIS Changes H-1B Specialty Occupation Guidance for Computer Programmers -Attorneys are expecting an increase in requests […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS To Accept FY 2018 H-1B Petitions Starting April 3 -USCIS will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year 2018 cap on April 3, 2017. 2. State Dept. Cable Calls for U.S. Embassies To Increase Scrutiny of Certain Visa Applicants -The cable orders U.S. embassies to identify “applicant populations warranting increased […]