Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Many USCIS filing fees are being adjusted upward beginning on April 1, 2024. That date, of course, is particularly significant. It is the earliest date that Cap H-1Bs can be filed.
The H-1B filing fee, for example, will rise from $460 to $780. The ACWIA Fee (to fund the training of U.S. workers) and the…
The increasing need for talented workers in the United States has more and more employers considering eliminating bachelor’s degree requirements from job descriptions. A recognition of the value of skills and experience over formal education may be driving the trend. See our full article on these issues and considerations here.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has changed its policy manual to make it easier to find and understand all the regulations regarding nonimmigrant students in F and M status. The new guidance consolidates the existing policies and clarifies issues of eligibility, school transfers, practical training and on-and off-campus employment. It provides more transparency…
In response to the Executive Order (EO) on Artificial Intelligence, on December 21, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a request for information in the Federal Register asking for public comment on possible additions to the Schedule A list, including more STEM or non-STEM fields.
On October 30, 2023, as part of the EO…
A change in calculating the availability of immigrant numbers means some foreign national ministers who are in the United States on temporary R-1 religious worker visas and waiting in lines for green cards will have to wait even longer, it seems. Some may even have to leave their congregations.
Ministers entering the United States solely…
USCIS has launched a new Enterprise Change of Address (E-COA) self-service tool to make it easier for foreign nationals to update their addresses.
All foreign nationals, even green card holders, are required to notify USCIS of a change of address within 10 days of the move. Beyond that regulation, it is important to notify USCIS…
This is the second of the two-part series Navigating Changes to a Job Post-PERM Certification, which evaluates the impact a job change may have on an approved, certified PERM and during a foreign national’s green card process.
As explained in Part 1, there are circumstances where it may not be necessary to start…
Diversity Visa (DV) Electronic Registration for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 opens at noon ET on October 4, 2023, and closes at noon ET on November 7, 2023. There will be 55,000 Diversity Visas available for FY 2025.
There is no cost to register, but, if selected, applicants must pay the visa application or I-485…
This is the first of a two-part series on the three factors to consider when evaluating the possible impact a job change could have on a certified PERM labor certification and a foreign national’s green card process.
Typically, unless the foreign worker qualifies for an exception, employers sponsoring a foreign national for permanent residency (a…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its Policy Manual (PM) to provide guidance to USCIS officers on evaluating eligibility criteria for the EB-1A (extraordinary ability) and EB-1B (outstanding professor or researcher) employment-based immigrant visa classifications.
The EB-1 immigrant visa classifications are important methods for employers to sponsor outstanding talent in the United States…
