In the last several years, the global society, including in the United States, has experienced a lot of social, political, and technological transformations, including the emergence of new professional careers, such as e-sport athletes ("pro gamers") and social media influencers. Since immigration law has remained...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued policy guidance, to revise the rules regarding employment authorization for E, L-2, and certain H-4 nonimmigrant dependent spouses. The new policy is especially beneficial for E and L-2 dependent spouses, who no longer need to apply...
Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had selected additional registrations submitted for the fiscal year 2022 (FY22) lottery. Any employer with a registration selected in the third lottery will be given until 23.Feb.2022 to file an H1B petition on behalf...
This morning, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the December 2021 Visa Bulletin. The most significant development is that the cutoff date for EB2 India moves past its EB3 counterpart in December. Visa Bulletin Summary Employment-Based, First Preference (EB1) Category The EB1 category remains current for all...
One generally must possess a U.S. college degree or its equivalent in order to qualify for an H1B position. Similarly, a U.S. college degree or its foreign equivalent is typically the minimum level of education that can be required for an employment-based, second preference (EB2)...
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) announced today that a settlement has been reached with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) related to work authorization for L-2 and certain H-4 dependent spouses.The official text of the settlement agreement has not yet been posted. However,...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is again expanding its credit card payment pilot program, this time for certain petitions filed with the Vermont Service Center (VSC). Under this expanded program, if a petitioner files a petition for a nonimmigrant worker (form I-129) for...
Effective November 8, 2021, the Biden Administration is rescinding the COVID-19 related travel restrictions based on several presidential proclamations. In its place, President Biden has issued a proclamation that requires nearly all nonimmigrant international air travelers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before being admitted...
In August 2021, the Biden administration authorized deferred enforced departure (DED) for 18 months for eligible Hong Kong residents. The Administration has now published details on the implementation of employment authorization for individuals covered by the DED executive order.Effective 05.Aug.2021, eligible Hong Kong residents covered...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) recently held its monthly YouTube program with Charlie Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division. During the program, Mr. Oppenheim provided some updated predictions, and revealed that he soon will be retiring. So, this likely will be...
