General Immigration News and Updates

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It has been widely reported, including by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, that on February 20, 2019 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as per normal regulatory procedure to rescind the H-4 spouse employment authorization document (H-4 EAD) regulation. Reportedly, approximately 90,000 H-4 EAD-holders…

Beginning today, Tuesday, February 19, 2019, USCIS is resuming premium processing for H-1B petitions that were filed on or before Dec. 21, 2018.

In its February 15, 2019 announcement, USCIS explained that H-1B Petitioners in this grouping who wish to upgrade a pending H-1B petition with a premium processing request should:

  • Include a copy of

…

On February 15, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 thereby averting another government shutdown.  The spending bill funds the federal government and extends the EB-5 Regional Center Program authorization through September 30, 2019.  EB-5 stakeholders will resume efforts towards achieving EB-5 reform and long-term reauthorization.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has resumed processing of EB-5 Regional Center applications/petitions.  The EB-5 Regional Center Program has been authorized and extended for three weeks in connection with the short-term spending bill signed by President Trump, thereby ending the government shutdown.  The continuing resolution (CR) reopens the government through February 15, 2019.   The…

E-Verify has resumed operations following the government shutdown.  This federal government system used by many employers to confirm eligibility of employees to work in the United States had been closed during the 35-day shutdown.

While enrolling in E-Verify is mostly voluntary, once an employer is enrolled in E-Verify, it is critical to follow the rules…

The co-chairs of Fox Rothschild’s Immigration practice group will be making presentations in many Fox offices on Immigration Compliance: What Employers Need to Know over the next few months. These presentations include an overview of immigration and workplace compliance, including Form I-9 and government inspections.

Topics:

  • Specifics about executing the I-9 under current rules
  • Documenting

…

In our continuing series of reports, Charles (“Charlie”) Oppenheim, Chief of the Visa Control and Reporting Division, U.S. Department of State, shares his most recent analysis of current trends and future projections for the various immigrant preference categories with AILA (the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association).

Below are highlights from the most recent “check-in with Charlie”…

After the USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna revealed that USCIS will end the practice of denying pending I-131 applications when an applicant travels overseas, USCIS recently updated its website with detailed information. Under the “Special Instructions” section of Form I-131, Applications for Travel Document, it states, “an individual may have an approved advance parole document…

Congressional negotiations on federal spending for the remainder of FY 2019 remain very active. If Congress and the President can’t come to an agreement on a spending bill or continuing resolution by midnight Friday, December 21, 2018, approximately 25 percent of government functions will shut down. Such a shut down will impact immigration services across…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend USCIS Regulations relating to cap-subject H-1B petitions filed under both the regular cap and advanced degree exemption. Comments from the public may be submitted to the agency within the next 30 days.  This does not affect cap-exempt H-1B …