March 2025 Visa Bulletin – Modest Advancement for Most Countries in EB-2 and EB-3; USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Categories
According to the State Department’s March Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: India will remain at February 1, 2022, and China…
USCIS Announces H-1B Cap Registration Schedule for FY 2026
Timeline: Sponsoring employers may submit registrations for the FY 2026 H-1B cap between noon ET on March 7, 2025, and noon ET on March 24, 2025, USCIS has announced. For the second consecutive year, USCIS will use a beneficiary-centric registration selection…
District Court Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Birthright Citizenship Executive Order
A federal district court in Maryland has issued a nationwide preliminary injunction halting implementation of President Trump’s January 20, 2025 birthright citizenship Executive Order (EO). In general, the EO seeks to deny citizenship to children born in the United States after February 19, 2025…
DHS Issues Notice Terminating 2023 TPS Designation for Venezuela
The Department of Homeland Security is terminating the 2023 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela, according to an advance copy of a Federal Register notice that will be published on February 5 and take effect 60 days later. Under the notice,…
DHS Vacates Venezuela’s Recent Temporary Protected Status Extension
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has vacated a January 17, 2025 Federal Register notice that had extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela through October 2, 2026. According to a notice scheduled for Federal Register publication on February 3, effective immediately, the 2021 and 2023 Venezuela TPS…
Important Information on International Travel Under the New Administration for Employers and Foreign Nationals
On his first day in office, President Trump signed a number of executive orders pertaining to immigration and national security. Though the executive orders do not impose immediate entry bans, they set forth the administration’s plans for future actions that…
President Trump’s Initial Executive Orders on Immigration Focus on Border Enforcement, Extreme Vetting, Restrictions on Birthright Citizenship, and Termination of Humanitarian Programs
President Donald J. Trump signed an array of immigration-related executive orders (EOs) among dozens of executive actions taken shortly after his inauguration. The most sweeping immigration orders pertain to enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, but other significant orders were aimed…
February 2025 Visa Bulletin – Modest Advancement in EB-2 India, EB-3 India, and EB-3 China; Other EB Categories Remain Unchanged; USCIS to Honor Final Action Dates
According to the State Department’s February Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: India will remain at February 1, 2022, and China will…
Final H-1B Modernization Rule Advances to Federal Review
A final regulation that is expected to make important modifications to the H-1B program and related programs and requirements is now under review at the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), putting the rule closer to publication and implementation.…
January 2025 Visa Bulletin – Modest Forward Movement in EB-2 and EB-3 Final Action Dates; USCIS to Honor Dates for Filing, Which Remain Unchanged
According to the State Department’s January Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: India will remain at February 1, 2022, and China will…
Bundled Processing of H-4 and L-2 Dependent Applications with a Principal’s Form I-129 Set to Expire January 18
After January 18, 2025, USCIS could resume its practice of adjudicating H-4 and L-2 applications for changes or extensions of status (Form I-539) and for employment authorization (Form I-765) several months after H-1B and L-1 principals’ nonimmigrant petitions (Form I-129),…
December 2024 DOL PERM and PWD Processing Times
As of December 1, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) was conducting analyst review for PERM applications filed in September 2023 or earlier, and processing audited cases with priority dates of December 2022 or earlier. DOL is working on standard…
DOS Issues Revised J-1 Exchange Visitor Skills List with Retroactive Effect; China and India, Among Other Countries, Have Been Removed From the List
The Department of State (DOS) has released an update of the J-1 Exchange Visitor Skills List (“Skills List”) effective December 9, 2024. The revised list removes a large number of countries (including China, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and United…
H-1B Cap Is Reached for FY 2025
USCIS has received enough petitions to meet the annual H-1B quota of 85,000 for Fiscal Year 2025, according to an agency announcement issued today. The announcement means that USCIS will not conduct a third cap lottery selection for H-1B employment in the…
Holiday Travel Guidelines for Foreign Nationals
If you are a foreign national planning to travel abroad this holiday season, now is the time to make sure you have the information, immigration documents, and instructions you need to depart and reenter the United States. Understanding your immigration…
December 2024 Visa Bulletin – Modest Advancement for India EB-2 and EB-3; All Other Employment-Based Categories Remain Unchanged
According to the State Department’s December Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: China will remain at November 8, 2022, and India will…
Anticipated Business Immigration in a Second Trump Administration
Once President-Elect Trump is inaugurated on January 20, 2025, we anticipate that employers and foreign nationals will face greater challenges throughout the immigration process. The President-Elect is expected to articulate his detailed plans for immigration and the leadership of the…
November 2024 Visa Bulletin – Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Availability Holds Steady Without Change; USCIS to Honor Dates for Filing for Employment-Based Categories
According to the State Department’s November Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates for issuance of an immigrant visa or approval of an adjustment of status application will be as follows: EB-1: China will remain at November 8, 2022, and India will…
FY 2026 Diversity Visa Lottery Registration Opens October 2
The State Department will begin accepting online registrations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Diversity Visa (DV) lottery starting Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at noon EDT. Foreign nationals who wish to enter the lottery have until Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at…
Congress Passes Stopgap Spending Bill; Immigration Operations Funded Through December 20
A continuing resolution passed by Congress late Wednesday will fund the federal government through December 20, 2024, while negotiations on the FY 2025 budget continue. The stopgap bill funds the federal government at current levels through December 20. Current funding…
Potential Federal Government Shutdown due to FY 2025 Budget Impasse (Some Immigration Processing Would Continue)
As FY 2025 federal budget discussions continue, U.S. government funding could expire after midnight on September 30, 2024 if Congress fails to pass legislation to avoid a government shutdown. In the event of a shutdown, some immigration processes would be…
EB-2 Immigrant Visa Category Unavailable Through September 30 After Reaching Annual Limit for FY 2024
The State Department has announced that the annual limit for the EB-2 immigrant visa category has been met for FY 2024. As a result, the category is immediately unavailable and will remain so through September 30, the end of the fiscal year.…
District Court Extends Halt of Keeping Families Together PIP Approvals Through September 23
The Eastern District Court of Texas has extended its administrative stay of parole in place (PIP) approvals under the Biden Administration’s new Keeping Families Together program through September 23, 2024, from September 9. While the administrative stay is in place, PIP applicants can continue…
EB-1 Immigrant Visa Category Unavailable Through September 30 After Reaching Annual Limit for FY 2024
The State Department has announced that the annual limit for the EB-1 immigrant visa category has been met for FY 2024. As a result, the category is immediately unavailable and will remain so through September 30, the end of the fiscal year.…
District Court Temporarily Halts Parole Approvals Under New PIP Program
The Eastern District Court of Texas has issued a 14-day administrative stay of parole in place (PIP) approvals under the Biden Administration’s new “Keeping Families Together” program, following a lawsuit filed last week by 16 U.S. states challenging the program. While the administrative…