Department of Homeland Security New Form I-9 Mandatory as of November 1, 2023 As of November 1, 2023, the newly revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (08/01/2023 edition date), must be used to verify the identity and employment authorization of all individuals hired in the United States. The new Form I-9 now includes alternative procedures
Department of Homeland Security USCIS Provides Updated Guidance on Status-Authorized Employment and Extended EAD Validity U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has updated its policy manual to reflect the government agency’s decision to increase the validity period of Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) up to five (5) years for certain nonimmigrant categories. This change comes as
Department of Homeland Security USCIS’s Automatic Extension Policy Set to Expire after October 26, 2023 During the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) rolled out a series of flexibilities to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors due to delays in government processing times and in response to remote work mandates. In particular, USCIS’s
Department of Homeland Security Second H-1B Cap Lottery Completed by USCIS On July 31, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced the completion of its second random selection from previously-submitted H-1B cap lottery registrations for fiscal year (“FY”) 2024. Newly-selected registrants have been notified via their myUSCIS accounts, which should be updated to include
Department of Homeland Security Hot Off The Press – New Form I-9 Compliance and Remote Verification Updates Beginning August 1, 2023, E-Verify participating employers in good standing may use an optional, alternative procedure to examine Form I-9 documents. The alternative procedure allows a qualified employer (or authorized representative acting on an employer’s behalf) to remotely
Department of Homeland Security Premium Processing Expansion for Applicants Seeking Status Change U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) is now accepting premium processing requests for Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status applicants who are seeking to change into F (academic students), M (vocational student), or J (exchange visitors) status. Dependent children and/or spouses of
Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification – Compliance Flexibilities Extended Through August 2023 As coronavirus (“COVID-19”) flexibilities are faded out with the end of the public health emergency, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) and U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (“ICE”) have announced important Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification compliance updates for employers. The Form I-9
Fiscal Year 2024 H-1B Registration Updates The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced its H-1B cap updates for fiscal year 2024 (“FY 2024”), as it received 780,884 registrations for the year, a 61% increase in registrations from FY 2023. This is the result of over 400,000 eligible registrations for the same individuals,
Premium Processing Expansion for Certain F-1 Students The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has expanded premium processing for F-1 Students who have a pending Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization with USCIS and are seeking pre- or post-Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (“STEM”) OPT extensions. As of March 6,
Department of Homeland Security On January 30, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) began issuing newly redesigned U.S. Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., Green Cards) and Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) as part of its fraud prevention program. The new cards are equipped with updated technologies including holographic images, tactile printing, and optically variable ink,