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…
Upcoming E-Verify Account Login Changes
By Amy L. Peck & Michael Bergman on
E-Verify will enhance security for account logins later this year. The system will require multi-factor (or two-step) authentication, meaning that, in addition to a password, users may need to enter a code sent to their email or phone. This can help prevent unauthorized account access in case of a compromised password – particularly due to…
Biden Administration Grants 18-Month Removal Relief for Certain Lebanese
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…
USCIS Updates Form I-9 Expiration Date
By Michael H. Neifach on
- Employers must be using the Aug. 1, 2023, edition of the form.
- The Aug. 1, 2023, edition now has two different versions
H-1B Update: USCIS to Hold Second Round of Selections for FY 2025 H-1B Cap
By Amy L. Peck on
Just as people were starting to lose hope, USCIS announced that it will soon hold a second round of selections for the FY 2025 H-1B cap. USCIS will randomly select additional registrations for unique beneficiaries from the previously submitted registrations.
There will not be a separate selection process for the master’s cap because a sufficient…
DHS Announces Temporary Protected Status Extension, Redesignation of Somalia for 18 Months
The Department of Homeland Security announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia will be extended and redesignated for 18 months from Sept. 18, 2024, to March 17, 2026.
The extension and redesignation respond in part to the continuing armed conflict that exposes those in Somalia to abuse, displacement, food insecurity, and disease. People in Somalia…
Why Certain TPS Beneficiaries Need to Request Form I-797 Despite EAD Automatic Extension
By Amy L. Peck on
On June 20, 2024, USCIS announced the automatic extension until March 9, 2025, of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued to certain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. To implement the automatic extension, USCIS indicated that it is issuing Form I-797, Notices of Action, to all eligible beneficiaries. Individuals…
DHS Extends Temporary Protected Status for Yemen to Mar. 3, 2026
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…
White House Extends Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians
By Forrest G. Read IV on
Posted in Biden Administration, Congress, DED, EADs, Green Cards, Humanitarian Programs, Permanent Residence, TPS, US Immigration, USCIS
President Joe Biden issued a Memorandum on Extending Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians that defers from June 30, 2024, through June 30, 2026, the removal of any eligible Liberian national who is present in the United States and who has already been entitled to Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and has continuously resided…