U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase the premium processing fee for H-1B, L-1 and certain immigrant visa petitions to $2,500, from $1,440, on Monday, October 19, 2020, according to an announcement issued today. Petitions postmarked on or after that date must…
A new Department of Labor (DOL) regulation will lift wages for H-1B, E-3, and H-1B1 nonimmigrant cases and the PERM labor certification program. The regulation will be published on October 8, 2020 and will take effect immediately, though DOL will accept public…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a long-planned regulation to tighten H-1B eligibility criteria and impose new obligations on H-1B employers after pushing the rule through a fast track regulatory review. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on October…
Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California has enjoined the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) from enforcing the Trump administration’s June 22 proclamation that suspended the entry of H-1B, L-1, H-2B…
The State Department will begin accepting online registrations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at noon EDT. Foreign nationals who wish to enter the lottery have until Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at…
The Issue The Department of Labor (DOL) has decided to permanently implement the electronic issuance of PERM labor certifications. In March, the agency announced it would temporarily issue labor certifications via e-mail as opposed to U.S. post due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California has enjoined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from enforcing its new fee rule, which was set to take on October 2, 2020. Judge White’s ruling…
According to the State Department’s October Visa Bulletin, cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa will be as follows: EB-1: All countries except for China and India will remain current in October. China and India will advance by three months to…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing a regulation that seeks to replace the current “duration of status” (D/S) policy for international students (F status), exchange visitors (J status), representatives of foreign information media (I status), and their dependents…
In the wake of the Second Circuit's September 11, 2020 decision to stay a limited injunction against the Department of Homeland Security public charge rule, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced it will resume applying the regulation to affected…