President Biden Announces Deferred Enforced Departure for Lebanese Nationals
The White House has designated Lebanese nationals for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). The DED order blocks removal of certain Lebanese nationals from the United States for 18 months, and instructs the Department of Homeland Security to provide employment authorization to…
DHS Acknowledges New Ten-Year Auto-Extension of Venezuelan Passport Validity
Consistent with the Venezuela National Assembly decree of June 25, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) webpages have been updated to reflect DHS recognition of a new ten-year auto-extension of…
DHS Updates STEM Designated Degree Program List with One New Entry
The Department of Homeland Security has added an additional field to the list of academic degrees eligible for the F-1 STEM optional practical training (OPT) program. The STEM OPT program, which allows F-1 students with a qualifying STEM degree to hold…
DHS Announces Extension and Redesignation of Somalia for TPS; Extends Relaxed Employment Options for Certain Somalian F-1 Nonimmigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from September 18, 2024 through March 17, 2026. The registration period for eligible individuals to submit initial TPS applications under the…
United States: Parole in Place Program for Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens to Begin August 19
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have announced that starting August 19, eligible applicants will be able to submit applications under the recently announced parole in place (PIP) program for certain undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens. Further…
August 2024 Visa Bulletin Update – USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Categories
Next month, USCIS will accept employment-based adjustment of status applications from foreign nationals with a priority date that is earlier than the Final Action Dates listed in the State Department’s August 2024 Visa Bulletin. Employment-Based Priority Date Cutoffs for August…
August 2024 Visa Bulletin – Slight Advancement in India EB-2 and EB-3, Remaining Employment-Based Categories Hold Steady
The Final Action dates and Dates for Filing for India EB-2 and EB-3 will advance by one month in August. The Final Action date for EB-2 India will advance to July 15, 2012 and the Date for Filing to July…
Immigration Agencies Announce Their New Regulatory Plans
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has delayed to December 2024 the publication of a final rule implementing the second phase of its H-1B program modernization plan, which is expected to include the revision of key H-1B program terms and…
DHS Extends and Redesignates Yemen for TPS, Extends Relaxed Employment Options for Yemeni F-1 Students
The Department of Homeland Security has extended and redesignated Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), from September 4, 2024 through March 3, 2026. The initial registration period for new TPS applicants will run from July 10, 2024 through March 3,…
July 2024 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times
As of July 1, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) was conducting analyst review for PERM applications filed in June 2023 or earlier, and processing audited cases with priority dates of December 2022 or earlier. DOL is working on standard…
DHS Extends and Redesignates Haiti for TPS, Extends Relaxed Employment Options for Haitian F-1 Students
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from August 4, 2024 through February 3, 2026. The registration period for eligible individuals to submit initial TPS applications under the redesignation…
USCIS Extends TPS Employment Authorization Documents for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan
USCIS is extending through March 9, 2025 the validity of TPS EADs issued to TPS beneficiaries under the designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. The current auto-extension was set to expire on June 30, 2024. Impacted beneficiaries…
Biden Administration Announces Relief Programs for Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Dreamers with U.S. Degrees
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security have announced two upcoming immigration relief programs intended to ease the pathway to permanent residence for certain undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and facilitate transition to H-1B or other employment-based nonimmigrant…
Reminder – FY 2025 H-1B Cap Petition Filing Period Closes June 30
Employers have just two more weeks to file petitions for foreign nationals selected in the FY 2025 H-1B cap lottery before the end of the filing period on June 30, 2024. It is not yet known whether USCIS will conduct…
July 2024 Visa Bulletin – Retrogression in EB-3 Worldwide; Significant Advancement in EB-1 India and Modest Forward Movement in Most Other Categories
The worldwide Final Action date for EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers will retrogress by almost one year in July. The Final Action date for EB-1 India will advance by eleven months. The Final Action dates for the remaining employment-based categories…
June 2024 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times
As of June 1, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) was conducting analyst review for PERM applications filed in May 2023 or earlier, and processing audited cases with priority dates of December 2022 or earlier. DOL is working on standard…
DHS Proposes Expansion of 9-11 Response Fee
A proposed rule seeks to expand the $4,000 or $4,500 9-11 Response fee to include H-1B and L-1 extension petitions filed by employers subject to the law, instead of only requiring the fee for their initial and change of employer…
May 2024 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times
As of May 1, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) was conducting analyst review for PERM applications filed in April 2023 or earlier, and processing audited cases with priority dates of December 2022 or earlier. DOL is working on standard…
June 2024 Visa Bulletin – No Movement in Most Employment-Based (EB) Categories; USCIS to Honor EB Final Action Dates
The Final Action dates for EB-1, EB-2, and EB-5 will remain unchanged in June. The Final Action date for EB-3 India will advance by one week. USCIS will honor Final Action dates for employment-based categories in June. The State Department…
State Department Releases FY 2025 Diversity Visa Lottery Winners Tomorrow
Starting at noon ET on May 4, 2024, lottery entrants must check the State Department’s official Diversity Visa Lottery website to learn whether they have been chosen to apply for a diversity visa. Entrants may experience delays accessing the official website due to…
Summer 2024 Travel Planning for Foreign Nationals
If you are a foreign national planning to travel internationally this summer, make sure that you have all the necessary documents, including a passport with sufficient remaining validity, a valid U.S. visa in the appropriate classification, and advance permission to…
USCIS Releases Selection Numbers for the FY 2025 H-1B Cap
USCIS received eligible registrations for 442,000 unique beneficiaries in the FY 2025 H-1B cap season and selected 114,017 – or 25.8% – of these beneficiaries. The overall number of registrations submitted in FY 2025 decreased sharply from last year; 470,342…
DHS Announces Details on Deferred Enforced Departure for Palestinians
Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Palestinians will be valid for an 18-month period, from February 14, 2024 until August 13, 2025. During this period, eligible Palestinians will be protected from removal and may apply for employment or travel authorization. Palestinian…
DHS Extends and Redesignates Ethiopia for TPS, Extends Relaxed Employment Options for Ethiopian F-1 Students
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Ethiopia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from June 13, 2024 through December 12, 2025. The registration period for eligible individuals to submit initial TPS applications under the…
February/March 2024 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times
As of February 29, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) was conducting analyst review for PERM applications filed in March 2023 or earlier, and processing audited cases with priority dates of December 2022 or earlier. DOL is working on standard…