Here's what you should know.

The U.S. Department of State has opened entries for the Diversity Lottery 2015 (DV-2015). Online registration for the Diversity Lottery will be accepted until Saturday, November 2, 2013, at noon EDT. The Diversity Lottery allows nationals from…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has released a new version of Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification). Employers should begin using the newly revised Form I-9 for all new hires and re-verifications, but may continue to use…

April 1 through 5, 2013 is the filing deadline for new H-1B petitions to be made under the USCIS H-1B quota (assuming, as in the past, that H-1B quota availability will be immediately exhausted).

The U.S. Department of State opened entries for the Diversity Lottery 2014 (DV-2014) beginning Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at noon EDT, and ending Saturday, November 2, 2012, at noon EDT. All entries must be submitted via the Department of State's…

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that employers should continue using the version of Form I-9 currently available on the USCIS website (dated 08/07/09) for purposes of verifying employment eligibility even…

April 2 through 6, 2012, is the initial filing window for new H-1B petitions to be filed against the USCIS FY2013 H-1B quota if the H-1B quota availability is immediately exhausted. Employers should determine as soon as possible whether they have any…

As of October 14, 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that only approximately 21,700 of the regular 65,000 H-1B visas for Fiscal Year 2012 remain available. The quota provides for 65,000 H-1B visas and 20,000 additional H…

The U.S. Department of State opens entries for the Diversity Lottery 2013 beginning October 4, 2011 at noon EDT, and ending November 5, 2011, at noon EDT.

The U.S. Department of State opened entries for the Diversity Lottery 2012 (DV-2012) beginning October 5, 2010 at noon EDT, and ending November 3, 2010, at noon EDT. Please note that this is a shorter entry period than in previous years.

Alert: Completion of a new tutorial is required in order to continue using E-verify after a redesign is released on Sunday, June 13, 2010.

Effective January 1, 2010, Oregon law gives employees the right to opt out of certain employer mandated meetings and requires employers (regardless of the size) to post a communication in the workplace regarding that right.

GINA prohibits discrimination by employers (and health insurers) on the basis of genetic information."Genetic information" is defined broadly to include, among other things, information about "the manifestation of a disease or disorder in family…

The U.S. Department of State opens entries for the Diversity Lottery 2011 (DV-2011) beginning October 2, 2009 at noon EDT, and ending November 30, 2009, at noon EST.

Companies who receive federal contracts on or after September 8, 2009, must use the government E-Verify system to confirm their employees' eligibility to work in the United States if the federal contract includes the Federal Acquisition Regulation E…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has begun sending detailed questionnaires to H-1B workers who are current or former employees of companies DOL is investigating. Please note that DOL states in the questionnaire that the H-1B worker is not required…

On July 1, 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") issued a news release announcing that it is launching "a bold, new [Form I-9] audit initiative" and has issued 652 Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to employers nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has activated a new online system for the filing and certification of Labor Condition Applications (LCAs). The system is referred to as the "iCert Portal" and will be required as of May 15, 2009.

The USCIS has confirmed as of April 9 that approximately 23,000 of the 65,000 H-1B visas from the FY2010 quota remain available following the April 1 opening for filings.

The Department of Labor has now posted model notices and corresponding instructions in their web site.

Last week, we notified you of the substantial changes to COBRA resulting from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the "Recovery Act").