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…
May 2024 Visa Bulletin – No Movement in Main Employment-Based (EB) Categories
The Final Action dates for EB-1, EB-2, EB-3, and EB-5 will remain unchanged in May. USCIS will honor Final Action Dates for employment-based categories in May. A closer look According to the State Department’s May Visa Bulletin, Final Action cutoff dates…
USCIS Announces New Guidance on Form I-693 Medical Exam Validity Period
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that any Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that was properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, does not expire and can be used…
USCIS Revives 540-Day Auto-Extension for Certain EAD Renewals
U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will again temporarily increase the automatic extension period of expiring Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain EAD renewal applicants, from the current maximum of 180 days to a temporary new maximum of 540…
U.S. Provides Third Gender Option on Application for Citizenship
As of April 1, 2024, applicants filing for U.S. citizenship will have the option to select “X” as their gender on their application forms per an Alert posted on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website. The introduction of this additional…
Guidance on Travel Preparations for F-1 Students on OPT or Awaiting a Change of Status to H-1B
If you are an F-1 student who has applied for or is working on optional practical training (OPT) or who will be the beneficiary of a petition to change status to H-1B in this year’s H-1B cap filing season, make…
USCIS Completes FY 2025 H-1B Cap Selection Process
The annual quota of 85,000 H-1B cap beneficiaries was met in the initial registration period for employment in FY 2025, according to USCIS. The precise number of cap registrations submitted has not yet been disclosed. The agency has completed the…
DHS Extends and Redesignates Burma (Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status; Extends Relaxed Employment Options for Burmese F-1 Students
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Burma (Myanmar) for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), from May 26, 2024 through November 25, 2025. The registration period for new TPS applicants will run from March 25, 2024 to November…
Immigration Agencies Funded for the Rest of FY 2024
Over the weekend, Congress passed a minibus spending package that will fund several federal agencies – including immigration agencies – through September 30, 2024, and President Biden signed the bill into law. The issue A matter of hours after funding…
New USCIS Fees to Take Effect April 1, with Significant Increases for Employment-Based Filings
Effective April 1, 2024, USCIS will increase and create separate filing fees for H-1B, L-1, and other temporary worker case types. The H-1B petition fee will rise to $780, from $460, a 70% increase. The L-1 petition fee will increase…
USCIS Extends FY 2025 H-1B Cap Registration Deadline to March 25 at Noon ET
USCIS is extending the registration deadline because of outages that affected the H-1B cap registration system. Employers and their immigration counsel will have more time to submit registrations for the FY 2025 H-1B cap selection lotteries. The original deadline was…