IMMIGRATION UPDATE 8.22.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – August 22, 2023 HEADLINES DHS, USCIS Reopen Field Office in Havana, Cuba – The Havana office will assist with U.S. immigration benefits and services. Services at the Havana Field Office will be available only by appointment. Ukraine TPS Extended, Redesignated; Special Student Relief Announced – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 8.15.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – August 15, 2023 HEADLINES September Visa Bulletin Includes DV-2024 Results, Availability of Employment-Based Visas, Determination of Numerical Limit on Immigrants – The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for September includes Diversity Visa 2024 lottery results, availability of employment-based visas during September, and determination of the numerical limit on immigrants for fiscal […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 7.31.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – July 31, 2023 BREAKING NEWS USCIS Conducted Second Random Selection for FY 2024 H-1B Cap – On July 27 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would select, using a random process, additional registrations from previously submitted electronic registrations for the fiscal year 2024 H-1B cap. USCIS ran the second selection […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 7.25.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – July, 2023 BREAKING NEWS Revised I-9 Form Expected August 1 – Among the updates is a checkbox employers enrolled in E-Verify can use to indicate that they remotely examined identity and employment authorization documents under an alternative procedure authorized by the Department of Homeland Security related to temporary COVID-19 flexibilities. See DETAILS […]
DHS Ends Form I-9 Requirement Flexibility
COVID-19 temporary flexibilities for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, will end on July 31, 2023. U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that employers must complete in-person physical document inspections for employees whose documents were inspected remotely during the temporary flexibilities by August 30, 2023. This new announcement gives employers additional time to complete […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 1.24.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – January 24, 2023 BREAKING NEWS Parties Reach Settlement in Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Spouses of H-1B and L-1 Visa Holders — USCIS will premium process applications of H-4 and L-2 dependents if they are filed concurrently with the primary’s I-129 premium processing request. The agreement is to take effect on January […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 1.10.2023
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – January 10, 2023 HEADLINES USCIS Issues Proposed Rule to Raise Fees and Fund Asylum Program With New $600 Employer Petition Fee – The Department of Homeland Security also proposes to fund the asylum program with a controversial new Asylum Program Fee of $600 to be paid by employers. DHS Implements New Processes […]
FY2024 H-1B CAP FILINGS
March 2023: The filing window for registration to seek an FY2024 H-1B cap visa number will likely open October 1, 2023: The earliest start date of employment for selected and approved petitions What are the H-1B quota limitations? Regular cap (Bachelor’s degree): 58,200 Regular cap, Citizens of Chile: 1,400 Regular cap, Citizens of Singapore: 5,400 Master’s cap exemption (Master’s degree […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 11.23.2022
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – November 23, 2022 HEADLINES Visa Bulletin for December 2022 Includes Many Updates – The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for December 2022 includes a variety of updates. The estimated employment-based annual limit will be 197,000 for FY 2023. Inspector General Releases Annual Statement on State Dept.’s Major Management and Performance Challenges – […]
IMMIGRATION UPDATE 11.14.2022
IMMIGRATION UPDATE – November 14, 2022 HEADLINES DHS Releases List of Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Programs, Adds Eswatini – Each country’s designation is valid until November 9, 2023. DHS Continues TPS and Related Documentation for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal – To ensure its continued compliance with several court orders, […]