USCIS has announced that the agency will conduct a second H-1B lottery for the FY 2025 regular cap numerical allocation. USCIS will select additional registrations from previously submitted electronic registrations using a random selection process. USCIS clarified that it will not be conducting a second selection for the advanced degree exemption (the master’s cap), as … Read more

  On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, President Biden announced executive actions that will allow certain noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens to obtain work authorization and lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. A second executive action will provide eligible DACA recipients and other Dreamers with a path to receive a work visa. The first will … Read more

USCIS has announced that the FY 2025 H-1B cap registration period will run from noon ET, March 6, 2024 to noon ET, March 22, 2024. This year, there will be a few changes to the registration process. A few key changes are noted below: USCIS will be introducing a new online organizational account system that will go live at noon … Read more

USCIS has published the final rule related to the anticipated filing fee increases. For a table summary of the fee increases, see here: USCIS Final Rule – Fees. The new fees will go into effect on April 1, 2024. A few important notes: USCIS will now charge different fees for Form I-129, Petition for a … Read more

As background, on January 4, 2023, USCIS issued a proposed rule on adjusting their fee schedule, which included increasing application fees by a 40% overall weighted average increase. On Monday, January 8, 2024, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) received the Final Rule outlining the increased fees for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration … Read more

USCIS has confirmed that they have received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the 85,000 combined regular and master’s cap for fiscal year (FY) 2024.  Non-selection notices will be sent through registrants’ online accounts over next several days.  Please reach out to discuss any questions or concerns about next steps or further options.  

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would modernize the H-1B specialty occupation worker program. One item of particular importance in the proposed rule is that the government seeks to change how USCIS conducts the H-1B registration selection process, and … Read more

On October 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Israeli citizens and nationals are now eligible to travel to the U.S. as part of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program. Eligible Israeli citizens and nationals may apply for authorization to travel to the United States through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) … Read more

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers must use Form I-9 to verify the identity and employment authorization of their employees.  Beginning November 1, 2023, only the new Form I-9 dated “08/01/2023” may be used.  The version date can be found at the lower left … Read more

Department of Homeland Security announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning. This redesignation provides temporary protection from removal, as well as employment authorization for individuals in the United States before July 31, 2023. … Read more