Joseph R. Biden, Jr. was sworn in today as the 46th president of the United States, and he has already begun the process of undoing Trump's immigration policies. To start with, by the end of the day, President Biden will have signed several executive orders...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has republished the rule that dramatically increases the salary requirements for H1B and PERM labor filings. The DOL initially published this regulation as an interim final rule (IFR), which was in effect from October 8, 2020, until it was...
This evening, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the text of a final rule that will change the definition of "employer" in the H1B context. Per this rule, end-clients would be required to submit petitions to the USCIS for H1B workers.At the same...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that all in-person services will be suspended on January 19th and 20th in order to "ensure the safety of … employees and individuals with appointments." The USCIS will send new appointment notices to stakeholders who had...
In some cases, it is possible to challenge a denial decision made by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on an application or petition for an immigration benefit. This challenge is made either through the filing of a motion to reopen or reconsider (motion,...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing a new policy, effective January 26, 2021, which will require airlines to obtain negative pre-departure COVID-19 test results for all international airline passengers arriving in the United States. The test must be from within...
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced today that, on Thursday, January 14, 2021, it will be republishing the rule that dramatically increases the salary requirements for H1B and PERM labor cases. It will be published as a final rule, and, barring intervention by a...
Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule in the Federal Register replacing the H1B lottery registration system with one that prioritizes cases filed based on wage level. The rule is scheduled to go into effect in 60 days. However, its...
The U.S. Department of State (DOS), which is responsible for all U.S. embassies and consulates, has provided an updated summary on its plan for the phased resumption of routine visa service across the globe. While this provides the general plan on how it will go...
Over the weekend, President Trump extended the work visa restrictions he initially implemented via executive order on June 22, 2020. The executive order had been scheduled to expire on December 31, 2020, but Trump has now extended the restrictions through March 31, 2021. Nevertheless, President-Elect...
