Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
As the cap H-1B registration process for fiscal year (FY) 2023 closes, and the lottery is about to begin, this might be a good time to look back at the results of the cap registrations from past fiscal years.
In FY 2020, 274,237 H-1B registrations were filed and 124,415 were selected to fill the 85,000…
Afghans who are already residing in the United States will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This designation will protect more than 74,000 Afghans from returning to unsafe conditions in their homeland.
DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas stated that this would protect Afghan…
A series of significant developments in U.S. immigration law has already marked the beginning of 2022 and more can be expected. Please see our Legal Update for what to anticipate as the year progresses.
Congress is set to pass Omnibus spending legislation that includes reauthorization of the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, which has been suspended since June 2021.
The Regional Center Program allows eligible investors to apply for green cards if they make the necessary monetary investment and create or preserve at least 10 permanent full-time jobs…
USCIS has increased the evidentiary burden for petitions for the O-1 Extraordinary Ability visa to mirror that for the EB-1 Extraordinary Ability visa.
Both the O-1 nonimmigrant and EB-1 immigrant visa classifications remain important and flexible methods of sponsoring outstanding talent in the United States. Unfortunately, USCIS backlogs and processing delays persist, and availability of…
Consistent with the Biden Administration’s extensions for other countries, the Department of Homeland Security announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for both Sudan and South Sudan due to conditions in those countries that temporarily prevent their nationals from returning safely.
The specifics for South Sudan are published in the Federal…
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months.
This designation was made based on the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Ukraine that prevent Ukrainian nationals, and those of no nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine, from returning to Ukraine…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is strongly encouraging applicants for adjustment of status (Form I-485) in the employment-based third preference category, if they are eligible to do so, to transfer the underlying basis of their applications to the first or second employment-based preference categories. This is because there are an…
USCIS has changed its mission statement again – this time to adopt a more immigration-friendly stance.
In 2018, USCIS, under the Trump Administration, changed its mission statement to align with President Donald Trump’s focus on enforcement, strict scrutiny, and extreme vetting. The statement did not emphasize customer satisfaction, i.e., the satisfaction of petitioners, applicants,…
As of January 31, 2022, spouses entering the United States in L-2 or E status may be able to obtain work authorization at the border by asking Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to give them a “spousal” designation in their I-94 record. Because USCIS has not issued “official” guidance on this yet, requesting the designation…
