Immigration - General

On July 30, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it would begin selecting additional random H-1B cap registrations from the regular cap to reach its fiscal year (FY) 2025 numerical quota.

As immigration advocates make the case for more immigration to the United States, they tend to focus on the ways immigrants participate in our consumer economy. When highly skilled immigrants come to the United States on employment-based work visas, they contribute to the economy by buying goods, ta

On June 20, 2024, USCIS announced the automatic extension until March 9, 2025, of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued to certain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. To implement the automatic extension, USCIS indicated

To avoid delays, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) wants to remind everyone who will be traveling this summer about its technologies, including lots of mobile apps, that will help streamline the reentry process for qualifying travelers. More and more travelers have been taking advantage of th

On June 20, 2024, USCIS extended the validity of certain work permits issued to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries under the TPS designations for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. All impacted beneficiaries will receive Form I-797, Notice of Action, notifying them of th

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the agency will establish a new process to consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests from eligible noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens for parole-in-place status. Parole-in-place allows noncitizens who entered the United States without the a

President Joe Biden announced protections for undocumented foreign national spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States for 10 years without a legal immigration status. This will protect approximately 500,000 such spouses from deportation and fear of deportation. The program is expe

President Joe Biden has ordered a temporary suspension of asylum applications for migrants who cross the southern border illegally between ports of entry. This suspension went into effect at midnight on June 5 because the number of illegal border crossings (or encounters) has reached the order’s thr

The Department of State announced that the United States and Japan have established a new J-1 Exchange Program – the Japanese Specialist Program. The new program specifically facilitates the exchange of Japanese language and culture specialists to observe U.S. educational methods and to share their

Since 2004, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been working on improving the systems used to document the entries and exits of nonimmigrants to and from the United States. There is no comprehensive easy-to-use system in place to collect exit data, although there are ways to report departur

On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began requiring certain I-129 petitions, historically filed at service centers, to instead be filed at its various lockbox facilities. USCIS confirmed on social media that it was experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for pe

On April 1, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began requiring certain I-129 petitions, historically filed at service centers, to instead be filed at its various lockbox facilities. USCIS confirmed on social media that it was experiencing delays in issuing receipt notices for pe

In this pro bono podcast, Littler’s Lavanga Wijekoon speaks with Ellen Miller of the National Immigrant Justice Center, Jodi Ziesemer of the New York Legal Assistance Group and Laura Lunn of the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network about the work being done across the country to help immigrants

USCIS has released the new Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The new form must be used to file starting June 3, 2024. Among the form’s various changes, two are particularly notable : Social Security Update: Applicants will have the option to complete additional questions to request an orig

Medical examinations and vaccination records properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon after Nov. 1, 2023, can be used indefinitely, USCIS has announced . There is no longer any expiration date. Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record , is used by some for

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that any Form I-693, Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record, that was properly completed and signed by a civil surgeon on or after November 1, 2023, is valid indefinitely.

In connection with the current administration’s push to retain STEM talent, on April 10, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it has updated its definition for “Schedule A, Group II” occupations. This clarification expands the applicability of the Schedule A, Group II desig

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a temporary final rule to increase the automatic extension period for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain renewal categories from 180 days to up to 540 days past the expiration date of the current EAD.

On March 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an initiative to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its daily operations, signifying a shift toward modernizing and enhancing the efficiency of immigration processes.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published instructions on how to apply for the extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar). On March 25, 2024, DHS extended and redesignated TPS for Burma until Nov. 25, 2025. Applications for re-registration and employ