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The Schedule A list of occupations that do not require the employer to conduct a labor market test (a PERM labor certification) as part of a green card application process has not been updated in at least 20 years. Almost a year ago, in December 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Request for…

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…

President Joe Biden on July 26, 2024, granted Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Lebanese nationals for 18 months due to the humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon created by the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. To be eligible, the Lebanese national must have been in the United States as of July 26, 2024, and…

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemen has been extended and redesignated for 18 months from Sept. 4, 2024 until Mar. 3, 2026. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that the extension and re-designation have been granted due to the continuing conflict in Yemen.  Yemen is now in the tenth year of…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti until Feb. 3, 2026.

According to DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the decision to renew and redesignate is based on the continued violence and insecurity in Haiti and limited access to safety, health care, food, and water in that…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopia until Dec. 12, 2025.

The decision to renew and redesignate is based on the ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara Region and violence in other regions of the country that includes human rights abuses and indiscriminate attacks, as well…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published instructions on how to apply for the extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar).

On March 25, 2024, DHS extended and redesignated TPS for Burma until Nov. 25, 2025.

Applications for re-registration and employment authorization document (EAD) renewals should be made during the re-registration…

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…

Students studying in the United States in F or M visa status must have a foreign residence that they have no intention of abandoning. A new USCIS policy manual update has clarified that being the beneficiary of a PERM application or an immigrant visa petition does not mean the student cannot demonstrate their intention to…

President Joe Biden announced Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for up to 18 months for Palestinians currently residing in the United States. The president took this action due to the terrorist attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the military response, and the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza. Individuals do not need to…