The U.S. Embassy in Havana has expanded visa services to include some temporary non-immigrant visas. Cuban nationals with the following approved petitions will be able to schedule visa interviews at the Embassy:
Department of State
DOL: Indefinite Delay in FLAG System Update for New H-2A Farmworker Visa Rule
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…
Judge Blocks New DOL H-2A Farmworker Visa Rule in 17 States
Seventeen states joined in a suit in June to block the Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing its new rule providing more protections to farmworkers employed as H-2A temporary visa holders. Now, Judge Lisa Godbey Wood of the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern Georgia has granted a preliminary injunction preventing the DOL…
Supreme Court Reaffirms Federal Courts Lack Authority to Review Visa Denials
In a 6-3 ruling in U.S. Department of State et al v. Munoz et al (Case Number 23-334), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) reaffirmed the doctrine of consular nonreviewability ruling against a U.S. citizen’s spouse who argued that the federal government violated her due process rights by denying her Salvadoran spouse an…
State Department Announces New J-1 Visa Japanese Specialist Program
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 knowledge of Japanese educational methods with U.S. colleagues.
The program…
DHS Launches Three Pilot Programs to Test AI Uses
President Joe Biden’s Executive Order regarding the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” directs departments and agencies throughout the government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State, to develop plans and policies to establish new standards for artificial intelligence (AI) use. In response, DHS has…
Number of Chinese Students at U.S. Universities Drops
Chinese students make up the majority of international students in the United States. However, the number of Chinese students in U.S. universities has dropped from a high of 370,000 in 2019 to about 290,000 today.
Part of the drop has been attributed to the Trump Administration’s 2020 executive order suspending entry of certain students and…
Department of State Announces Pilot Program for Stateside Processing of Nonimmigrant Visas
The Department of State (DOS) will begin a pilot program for issuing nonimmigrant visas inside the United States on Jan. 29, 2024. The pilot program will be available to a narrowly defined class of nonimmigrants for a limited period. Once the proof of concept is demonstrated, the DOS plans to continue and expand the stateside…
Employers’ Notification Requirements When Employing Foreign Nationals in H-1B, H-1B1, E-3
Employers that employ foreign nationals have various notification requirements. Immigration cases that require LCA (Labor Condition Application) filings with the Department of Labor (DOL) before submitting petitions to USCIS or the Department of State – H-1Bs, H-1B1s, and E-3s – require the following.
- Notice must be given to U.S. workers at the relevant worksite(s) in
What Executive Order on AI Means for Immigration
On October 30, 2023, President Joe Biden issued an Executive Order regarding the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” The Executive Order (EO) directs departments and agencies throughout the government, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of State (DOS), to develop plans and policies to establish…