H-1B Cap Lottery Timelines Released by USCIS The H-1B Cap Season is quickly approaching and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has recently announced important dates for the upcoming visa lottery. The initial registration period for fiscal year (“FY”) 2024 will run from 11:00 am CST on March 1, 2023, through 11:00 am CST on
USCIS Policy Updates for Certain Permanent Residency Card Renewal Applicants In response to lengthy processing times for naturalization applicants, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has updated its Policy Manual to allow for the automatic extension of Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., “Green Cards”) for individuals with properly filed and pending Form N-400, Application for
Annual Report to Congress by the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (“CIS”) Ombudsman The CIS recently released its annual report on the state of affairs at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), addressing issues encountered by individuals and employers applying for immigration benefits and reviewing areas for improvement. While the CIS Ombudsman’s recommendations
COVID Testing Mandate for International Air Travel into the U.S. Lifted On June 12, 2022, the Biden Administration lifted coronavirus (“COVID-19”) testing mandates for air travel into the U.S. after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) officials determined the requirement was no longer needed because of widely available COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Since January
USCIS Announces Completion of H-1B Cap Lottery The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced the completion of its H-1B initial electronic registration selection process for fiscal year 2023 (“FY 2023”) after receiving enough electronic registrations to reach the H-1B numerical allocations (“H-1B Cap”), including the advanced degree exemption (“Master’s Cap”). Selected H-1B Cap
Department of Labor Update: Form I-9 COVID Policy: The Department of Labor has announced that starting May 1, 2022, employers will no longer be able to accept expired List B documents for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification purposes—ending a temporary policy enacted in response to stay-at-home orders and document renewal difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
H-1B CAP: On February 28, 2022, almost a full year since the H-1B CAP lottery took place for fiscal year (“FY”) 2022, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced that it had reached the congressionally mandated 85,000 H-1B visa cap. Individuals who were not selected for the FY 2022 cap season will now
H-1B Registration Period for FY 2023 CAP-Subject H-1B Petitions Opens on March 1, 2022 FY 2023 H-1B cap season is quickly approaching, with the registration period opening at noon on March 1, 2022 and ending at noon on March 18, 2022. All H-1B registrations must be submitted online during this period to be counted in
Receipt Notice Delays Due to COVID-19 restrictions and filing increases, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently experiencing a four to six week delay in issuing receipt notices for applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. The delay period varies according to the lockbox facility and application/petition filed, with more
Receipt Notice Delays Due to COVID-19 restrictions and filing increases, USCIS is currently experiencing a four to six week delay in issuing receipt notices for applications and petitions filed at a USCIS lockbox facility. The delay period varies according to the lockbox facility and application/petition filed, with more significant delays for individuals filing Form I-485,