A U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulation affecting highly skilled workers went into effect on January 17, 2017. One of the key components of the new regulation is the availability of a grace period of up to 60 days for certain categories of nonimmigrant...
Starting April 3, 2017, the USCIS will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H1B petitions. This suspension may last up to six months. While H1B premium processing is suspended, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, for a...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is continuing to expand its scrutiny of the social media presence of foreign travelers and foreign nationals applying for U.S. immigration benefits. DHS Secretary John Kelly has stated that the Trump Administration's "extreme vetting" policies may include asking...
Last night, in his first speech before a joint session of Congress, President Trump called on lawmakers to reform the U.S. immigration system. The President asserted that the "… current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers." He...
Charles Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), provides visa bulletin explanations and predictions almost every month. The update this month for the March 2017 Visa Bulletin provides predictions related to most employment-based categories, as well...
Many U.S. employers that normally engage in providing tech consulting services seek to expand revenue streams by also developing their own proprietary software that can be marketed to clients. As part of the development process, these companies may seek to hire H1B workers to serve...
On February 14, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published the long-awaited application for employment authorization for abused nonimmigrant spouses (form I-765V). The new form allows certain categories of nonimmigrant spouses, including those in A, E-3, G, or H status, to now apply...
On Friday, two memos were signed by John Kelly, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that detail how the DHS will be implementing President Trump's executive orders related to border security and internal enforcement of immigration laws. One memo, entitled "Implementing the President's...
There are no real surprises in the March 2017 Visa Bulletin. There is no movement in the dates for filing (DF) chart, and the final action (FA) chart advances are about what was expected. This month's visa bulletin also includes a number of predictions for...
Today, President Trump stated that he will be "issuing a new executive action next week that will comprehensively protect our country." He further vowed to appeal the court decision that is currently blocking the travel ban he initiated via a January 27, 2017 executive order....
