Here's what you should know.

On March 15, 2017, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii blocked the Trump Administration's new travel ban, Executive Order No. 13,780 (EO). The Court issued a nationwide temporary restraining order that blocks enforcement of two key…

The Trump Administration issued a new Executive Order (EO) on March 6, revoking the January 27 Executive Order banning U.S. entry of nationals from seven countries (see prior news alert here). The new EO becomes effective March 16 and imposes a…

On March 3, 2017, USCIS announced it will suspend Premium Processing of all H-1B petitions filed April 3, 2017 and later. The suspension may last up to six months, and is intended to reduce the processing times for H-1B petitions filed regular…

U.S. employers that wish to pursue new H-1B visas on behalf of prospective or existing employees should do so as soon as possible, and contact counsel for assistance if desired. April 3 through 7, 2017 is the anticipated deadline for filing new H-1B…

Yesterday, February 9, 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) unanimously upheld the temporary restraining order that halted the federal government ban on issuance of visas to, and entry of, individuals from…

As has been widely reported, on Friday, February 3, 2017, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a temporary restraining order impacting the Trump Administration Executive Order issued on January 27, 2017…

The White House, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have issued guidance clarifying the impact of the Trump Administration Executive Orders issued last week. One…

Last week, President Trump issued three Executive Orders addressing a wide range of immigration issues. The content of the Orders establish executive branch policy and immediate concrete action items. The Executive Orders include measures impacting…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of State have created a new Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS). Certain visa holders will be required to enroll in EVUS to continue to use their visas to enter the United States. The…

The U.S. Department of State has announced registration dates for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery 2018 (DV-2018). Online registration for the lottery will be accepted beginning Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT…

On April 7, 2016, USCIS announced that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2017 was reached within the five business day filing window running from April 1 to April 7, 2016. This includes both the U.S. advanced degree cap preference limit of 20,000 visas…

April 1 through 7, 2016 is the deadline for new H-1B petitions to be filed under the USCIS H-1B quota. We recommend that employers review upcoming hiring needs and determine as soon as possible if the company needs to file any new H-1B petitions…

The U.S. Department of State has announced registration dates for the Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery 2017 (DV-2017). Online registration for the Diversity Lottery will be accepted beginning October 1, 2015 at noon EDT (GMT -4) until November 3…

The U.S. Department of State (DOS), Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with its visa system which has resulted in delays in printing visas and may mean rescheduling visa interviews. This issue is not specific to…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will temporarily suspend its premium processing service for all H-1B Petitions requesting an Extension of Stay (including amendment and change of employer requests). The temporary…

On April 7, 2015, USCIS announced that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2016 was reached within the five business day filing window running from April 1 to April 7, 2015. This includes both the U.S. advanced degree cap preference limit of 20,000 visas…

To help U.S. businesses retain highly-skilled workers, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a final rule providing employment authorization eligibility to certain H-4 spouses. Beginning May 26, 2015, certain H-4 spouses of…

April 1 through 7, 2015 is the deadline for new H-1B petitions to be filed under the USCIS H-1B quota (assuming, as in the past, that the H-1B quota will be immediately exhausted). We recommend that employers review upcoming hiring needs and…

On April 7, 2014, USCIS announced that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2015 was reached within the five business day filing window running from April 1 to April 7, 2014. This includes both the U.S. advanced degree cap preference limit of 20,000 visas…

April 1 through 7, 2014 is the deadline for new H-1B petitions to be filed under the USCIS H-1B quota (assuming, as in the past, that the H-1B quota will be immediately exhausted). Employers should therefore determine as soon as possible whether they…