Department of Homeland Security H-1B Cap Lottery Timelines Released by USCIS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has recently announced important dates for the upcoming H-1B visa lottery. The lottery registration period for fiscal year (“FY”) 2025 will run from 11:00 am CST on March 6, 2024, through 11:00 am CST on March 22, 2024,
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 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 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
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,
As U.S. immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance bans imposed by the Trump administration have lapsed and U.S. consulates abroad have restarted routine visa appointments, most applicants for popular work visas, such as H-1B and L-1, and their U.S. employers do not realize that the current visa backlog includes nearly half a million applicants who meet
USCIS Announces Completion of H-1B Cap Lottery U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that they have received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B numerical allocations (H-1B cap) including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap), and that they have now notified all prospective petitioners with
The big news at the start of the holiday season pertains to the preliminary injunction in the Doe v. Trump matter that enjoins President Trump from implementing a ban on visa applicants unable to prove their ability to obtain health insurance upon entry into the U.S. for the duration of the case litigation. On October
Importantly, effective November 3, 2019, Department of State (DOS) offices abroad were going to start implementing the new health insurance requirement for permanent immigration (Green Card) applicants undergoing Consular Processing at U.S. consulates. Under this new adjudication criteria, a U.S. consular officer would be able to deny an immigrant visa benefit to an individual without