Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Qatar will join the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). It will be the 42nd member of the VWP and the first Gulf country to qualify. The VWP allows citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa.
No…
As of September 10, 2024, USCIS will automatically extend the validity of Permanent Resident Cards (or “Green Cards”), for which a Form I-90, Application to Renew or Replace Permanent Resident Cards has been submitted, for 36 months. The previous automatic extension was for 24 months.
Although Permanent Resident status does not need to be…
In recent years, the landscape for high-skilled immigration to the United States has seen significant changes, particularly with the rise in approvals for O-1A visas and National Interest Waivers (NIW). This rise follows the Biden Administration’s 2022 favorable guidance aimed at welcoming high-skilled science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) talent and reversing the previous administration’s…
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed delaying enforcement of the REAL ID requirement for passengers of domestic airlines to give travelers two more years to update to REAL ID-compliant identifications. The proposal is open for comments until Oct. 15, 2024.
The REAL ID Act was passed by Congress based on the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations.
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced its H-2A Transition Plan for updating its Foreign Labor Application Gateway (FLAG) system based on the preliminary injunction (known as the Kansas Order) issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern Georgia. That order prevents the DOL from enforcing its new H-2A Farmworker Visa Rule against…
USCIS is processing naturalization cases faster than they have in years, and the agency is managing to cut down on its naturalization backlog. Given the current average timing, eligible green card holders who applied early in the summer 2024 might be sworn in in time to vote in the upcoming November elections.
Of course, field…
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has signed an amendment to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act that provides additional employee protections regarding employers’ use of E-Verify. The amendment’s effective date is Jan. 1, 2025, and applies to both private and public employers.
Illinois already had specific rules to ensure that E-Verify is…
The Department of Labor (DOL) has decided to delay updating its Foreign Labor Application Gateway, or FLAG, case processing system to implement revised H-2A job order and application forms for the new 2024 Farmworkers Protection Final Rule until further notice. For now, H-2A job orders and applications will continue to be received and processed under…
