Immigration

The U.S. and worldwide entrepreneur community had been looking forward to July 17th with great anticipation.  This was supposed to be the effective date of the new International Entrepreneur Parole immigration regulation.

On June 26, 2017, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a redesigned version of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. This form is used in the final stage of the permanent residence, or “green card,” process for most applicants physically present in the United States.

On June 26, 2017, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) introduced a redesigned version of Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. This form is used in the final stage of the permanent residence, or “green card,” process for most applicants physically present in the United States.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) issued a mixed decision in the “Travel Ban” litigation, relating to Presidential Executive Order 13780 (“EO”).

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that naturalized American citizens cannot be stripped of citizenship if a lie or omission in the application process was irrelevant to the government’s decision to approve the naturalization application in the first place.

On June 15th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a brief memorandum on the status of DAPA.

On May 31st, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that they have published a new update on the I-94 website. CBP will remind travelers via e-mail of their officially recorded departure date from the United States.

On May 31st, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that they have published a new update on the I-94 website. CBP will remind travelers via e-mail of their officially recorded departure date from the United States. Currently, CBP will send these reminders to eligible travelers on the visa waiver program.

On May 24th, DHS Secretary John F. Kelly extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through January 22, 2018 for eligible nationals of Haiti and individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti.

On May 24th, DHS Secretary John F. Kelly extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through January 22, 2018 for eligible nationals of Haiti and individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti.

On Wednesday, May 24, our very own Kevin McNamara, Jen Rubin, and Bill Coffman will lead a live seminar in our San Diego office designed for in-house counsel, immigration specialists, HR professionals, talent managers, and other internal stakeholders to review changes affecting the hiring and continued employment of foreign nationals

On May 3, 2017, USCIS announced that it has completed data entry of all H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in the FY2018 lottery. We continue to receive receipt notices for selected petitions.

On May 3, 2017, USCIS announced that it has completed data entry of all H-1B cap-subject petitions selected in the FY2018 lottery. We continue to receive receipt notices for selected petitions. USCIS will now begin returning all H-1B cap-subject petitions that were not selected, together with their respective filing fees.

In another example of increased restriction on the rights of non-U.S. Citizens, on Thursday, April 27, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published a policy memorandum limiting the privacy rights of immigrants and foreign nationals under the Federal Privacy Act of 1974.

Following our recent seminars on what to expect in the world of immigration law and compliance in 2017, we invite you to delve deeper into I-9 compliance, E-Verify compliance, and employment-based immigration compliance. During this three-part webinar series, we will aim to arm employers with best practices and tools regarding compliance in key areas of immigration law.

As a follow-up to the April 7, 2017 announcement that the H-1B cap had been reached, on Monday, April 17, USCIS revealed that it has now completed the random selection of the 85,000 petitions for the quota and that in total, the agency received 199,000 H-1B cap-subject submissions.

USCIS announced on April 7, 2017, that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2018. USCIS also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.

USCIS announced on April 7, 2017, that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2018. USCIS also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.

All individuals entering the U.S. at international ports of entry are inspected by US Customs & Border Protection (CBP).  This occurs at either the arrival airport in the U.S., Pre-Flight Inspection if flying from most Canadian airports, or border crossings into the U.S. from either Canada or Mexico.

“Computer Programmer” as a Specialty Occupation
On March 31, 2017, USCIS released a policy memorandum addressing the adjudication and review of H-1B petitions for Computer Programmers.