Immigration - General

On March 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of State published final adjustments to the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services for several nonimmigrant visa application processing fees and the fee for border crossing cards for Mexican citizens (ages fifteen and older).

New travel authorization systems are being postponed again in the United States and in Europe: REAL ID until May 7, 2025, and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) until 2024. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended the dead

On March 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it completed the initial H-1B electronic registration selection process for fiscal year (FY) 2024.

On March 15, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued policy guidance clarifying how the agency analyzes an employer’s ability to pay the proffered wage to support immigrant petitions in the employment-based first, second, and third preference categories.

Lawful permanent residents may receive temporary evidence of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status by mail, rather than physically visiting a field office, USCIS has announced . LPRs eligible for delivery of temporary evidence of status will be mailed a Form I-94 with ADIT stamp, DHS seal, an

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently updated its policy manual, effective as of February 14, 2023, to include new provisions regarding how to calculate a “CSPA age” for dependent children approaching the age of 21.

On March 17, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services notified the public that it would extend the H-1B cap registration window until Monday, March 20, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

U.S. passport renewals are taking longer. Applying for renewals well in advance of travel abroad may be particularly important if you also need a visa in the new passport. Moreover, many countries require that your passport be valid for at least 3 months, or even 6 months, beyond the period

Passport stamps used to be treasured mementos for some travelers, but they are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Instead, biometrics and electronic entry systems are being deployed. But that is not the only thing that is changing. Now, in many countries, e-Gates may take the place of customs

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy continues to be under attack. In Judge Andrew Hanen’s court in the Southern District of Texas, a coalition of Republican states filed a motion for summary judgment in a long-pending case alleging that the Biden Administration’s new DACA rule i

On January 30, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a redesign of permanent resident cards (green cards) and employment authorization documents (EADs). The new cards feature state-of-the-art fraud protection technology that aims to combat document counterfeiting and tamp

USCIS is extending the validity of conditional permanent residence cards, or green cards, for 48 months beyond the card’s expiration date. The move is in response to the long processing delays for those filing petitions to remove conditions on residence – the Form I-751, Petition to Remove Condition

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) final rule on public charge inadmissibility has been in effect since December 23, 2022. Accordingly, USCIS released a revised Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, for applications submitted on or after December 2

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 H-1B cap will open on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at noon ET, and will end on Friday, March 17, 2023, at noon ET. It is only during this period that employers or

As we move deeper into the new year, the U.S. government continues to try to resolve the challenges facing the immigration system due to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting processing backlogs. These challenges may still continue, but new changes and updates have already taken

In a settlement agreement signed on January 19, 2023, USCIS agreed to “bundle” the adjudication of dependent applicants’ Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) and Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) with the primary applicant’s Form I-129 (Petition for Nonim

On January 30, 2023, US Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) will permit employers petitioning for multinational managers and individuals seeking a national interest waiver to select premium processing for their petition. Premium Processing is a faster adjudication path the employer may sel

The United States government has increased a variety of immigration-related fines/penalties, effective January 13, 2023. The higher penalties are only for those cases where the penalties are assessed on January 13, 2023 or thereafter. These increases were pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Infl

On January 4, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would increase fees for specific immigration and naturalization benefit requests. The department’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) cited the expansion of humanitari

On January 3, 2023, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (”USCIS”) released its long-anticipated updated fee schedule that proposes dramatic increases to the fees employers pay to employ foreign nationals using nonimmigrant visas, and access the permanent residency process. If enacted, the gr