Immigration Insights & Issues Blog
Key legal insights into modern immigration challenges.
Effective December 2, 2024, certain applicants applying for adjustment of status (Form I-485) to permanent residence must now submit the required Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (I-693) concurrently with their I-485 adjustment application. This change by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was made to expedite processing times and reduce delays in …
Continue reading “Avoid Rejection: Submit I-693 with I-485 Adjustment Application”
In a significant move, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended temporary immigration protections for Lebanese nationals currently residing in the United States. These measures, which include Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), will provide critical relief to individuals affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Let us break …
Continue reading “New TPS and DED Protections for Lebanese Nationals: What You Need to Know”
Filing a PERM (Program Electronic Review Management) application is a critical process for most U.S. employers seeking to hire foreign workers. One of the significant hurdles in this process is obtaining a Prevailing Wage Determination (PWD) from the Department of Labor (DOL), which can take at least six months at present. Recently, employers have noticed …
Continue reading “Avoiding RFIs in PERM: 3 Key Tips for Travel Requirements”
Amid the ever-evolving landscape of business and workforce dynamics, the recent buzz around the H-2B visa lottery has sent ripples of anticipation and concern through companies reliant on foreign workers. As immigration and labor shortages continue to weave intricate challenges, the opportunity to secure additional H-2B visa numbers opens a new chapter of possibilities and …
Continue reading “Grab Your Shot: Supplemental H-2B Visas for Those Who Missed the Lottery”
On November 3, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“D.H.S.”) with support of the Department of Labor (“D.O.L.”) announced that it expects to make available an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural visas for Fiscal Year (F.Y.) 2024. This increase is in addition to the existing mandated 66,000 H-2B visas that are allotted each F.Y. …
Continue reading “65,000 More Reasons to Get Ready: Essential H-2B Filing Strategies for FY2024”
On June 1, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) officially transitioned its online PERM labor certification filings from its legacy PERM portal to the FLAG System. In addition to announcing the PERM system transition, the DOL announced the release of a new Form ETA-9089, including a number of never before seen questions likely to trigger …
Continue reading “Navigating PERM in FLAG and the New Form ETA-9089”
On March 27, 2023, USCIS announced that it had received enough electronic registrations to reach the H-1B annual cap FY2024, including the advanced degree exemption (Master’s cap). While official statistics regarding the number of registrations submitted vs. that selected have yet to be released, reports across the board indicate a much lower selection rate than …
Continue reading “Not Selected In The Lottery? 5 H-1B Alternatives To Consider”
On September 9, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a lengthy Final Rule concerning the implementation of the public charge ground of inadmissibility[1] after several years of federal court litigation. This Final Rule will be effective on December 23, 2022, and apply to applications postmarked (or electronically submitted) on or after that …
Continue reading “DHS PUBLISHES NEW FINAL RULE ENDING TRUMP-ERA PUBLIC CHARGE RESTRICTIONS”
On May 3, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) that would increase the automatic extension period for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain designated categories of EAD renewal applicants who timely filed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization before their EAD’s current expiration. This rule was issued in …