Immigration Insider
ABIL Immigration Insider • September 7, 2025
In this issue: 1. Hundreds Arrested at Georgia Hyundai Plant in Massive Operation – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested approximately 475 people during a raid on a Hyundai manufacturing plant outside of Savannah, Georgia. About 300 of those arrested were from South Korea. 2. USCIS Plans to Recruit and Train ‘Special Agents’ to Exercise […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • August 3, 2025
In this issue: 1. DOS Updates Policy to Require In-Person Interviews for Most Nonimmigrant Visas – Effective September 2, 2025, the categories of applicants who may be eligible for a waiver of the nonimmigrant visa interview will be updated. All nonimmigrant visa applicants generally will require an in-person interview with a consular officer, with a […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • July 6, 2025
In this issue: 1. DOJ Announces Civil Division Enforcement Priorities, Including Denaturalization and Ending Sanctuary Jurisdictions – On June 11, 2025, the Civil Division of the Department of Justice issued a memorandum announcing its enforcement priorities under the Trump administration. Under the memo, among other things, a policy shift heightens the priority of civil denaturalization […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • June 1, 2025
In this issue: 1. Trump v. Foreign Students, Continued: DOS Suspends All Student/Exchange Visitor Visa Applications While Considering Expansion of Social Media Vetting, Will ‘Aggressively’ Revoke Visas of Certain Chinese Students – In the most recent of a continuing series of actions taken against international students seeking to pursue an education in the United States, […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • May 4, 2025
In this issue: 1. SEVIS Record Reactivations Not Retroactive; Uncertainty Remains – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reinstated many Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records as of April 24, 2025—not retroactively to the date of termination of the records, thus leaving a gap that could be construed as rendering the students out of status […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • April 6, 2025
In this issue: 1. FY 2026 H-1B Initial Registration Selection Process Completed – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough electronic registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year 2026 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap), including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). 2. USCIS Announces Work Permit Procedures […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • March 2, 2025
In this issue: 1. President Trump Proposes ‘Gold Card’ Visa Program to Replace EB-5 Visa – President Trump said he wants to sell a “gold card” visa for $5 million to noncitizens, including both individuals and companies. The visa would include permanent residence with work authorization and a path to U.S. citizenship. Secretary of Commerce […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • Feb 2, 2025
In this issue: 1. DHS Pauses Humanitarian Parole Programs – The top official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reportedly ordered a pause of various humanitarian parole programs while the agency assesses them. The report describes the scope of the programs to be paused as “vast.” 2. CBP Clarifies Advance Parole Guidance; Practitioners Urge Caution […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • Jan 5, 2025
In this issue: 1. OFLC Reminds Employers About H-2B Application Filing Timelines for 2025 Peak Filing Season – The filing window to submit an H-2B Application for Temporary Employment Certification (Form ETA-9142B and appendices) requesting work start dates of April 1, 2025, or later, opened on January 1, 2025. 2. VWP Designated Countries List To […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • Dec 1, 2024
In this issue: 1. DHS Publishes Temporary Final Rule to Supplement H-2B Cap With Nearly 65,000 Additional Visas for FY 2025 – The rule provides effective dates for the various allocations and details on what employers must do to qualify for the FY 2025 supplemental caps. 2. DHS Publishes Notice Designating Lebanon for TPS and […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • Nov 3, 2024
In this issue: 1. OFLC to Decommission Legacy Permanent Online System on December 1 – The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification will decommission the legacy Permanent Online System on December 1. 2. DOS Corrects DV-2026 Entry Period Dates – The entry period for the DV-2026 program begins on October 2, 2024, and […]
ABIL Immigration Insider • Oct 6, 2024
In this issue: 1. FY 2026 Diversity Visa Program Application Period Is Underway – The online registration period for the Diversity Visa (DV)-2026 program began on October 2, 2024, and concludes on November 5, 2024. 2. USCIS Issues New Guidance on EB-1 ‘Extraordinary Ability’ Eligibility Criteria – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued policy guidance, […]