As noted in our post in February 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule updating the H-1B cap registration process and creating a beneficiary-centric selection process. The rule took effect this year with the FY25 H-1B cap registration period, which ran from March 6, 2024
Continue Reading H-1B Cap Rule – Did it Work?
Seyfarth Synopsis: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a Temporary Final Rule extending the automatic extension period for certain Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal applicants from 180 days to 540 days.
In alignment with ongoing efforts aimed at streamlining operations and enhancing processing efficiency, the U.S. Citizenship
Continue Reading Streamlining Services: USCIS Auto-Extensions for Work Permits – A Step Towards Efficiency and Relief
On the morning of February 14, 2024, several clients reached out after encountering issues with the photo matching tool in E-Verify. They reported discrepancies where the photos transmitted by E-Verify did not align with the photos on the employees’ documents. It became increasingly clear that E-Verify was not rendering
Continue Reading Valentines Day Glitch: E-Verify Photo-Match Mayhem
Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective April 1, USCIS will implement significant filing fee increases, in particular for petition and applications related to employment-based benefits.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule, which will take effect on April 1, 2024, to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees. Through
Continue Reading USCIS Announces Significant Fee Increases Effective on April 1, 2024By: Jake Campbell, Weija (Victoria) Ma, and Jason Burritt
Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration:
1. Government Shutdown Avoided – For Now
On September 30, 2023, Congress passed a stopgap bill to keep the government running for another 45 days. For more information on potential impacts if the government were to shutdown, please see our legal alert–Potential Government Shutdown: Immigration Consequences for Employers and their Foreign Employees—here.
Continue Reading October 2023 U.S. Immigration AlertBy: Weijia (Victoria) Ma, Jake Campbell, Michelle Gergerian
Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration:
1. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Launched Online Appointment Request Form
On August 21, USCIS launched a new online form for individuals to request in-person appointments at their local field offices. Instead of calling the USCIS Contact Center, individuals can use the online appointment request form to request an in-person appointment at a field office for ADIT stamps, Emergency Advance Parole, and more. However, it is important to note that the requested date and time cannot be guaranteed. USCIS will review the online appointment request form and schedule the individual for an in-person appointment date based on the local field office’s availability.
Continue Reading September 2023 U.S. Immigration AlertBy: Victoria Ma
Seyfarth Synopsis: In its continued efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and
Continue Reading USCIS Expands Premium Processing Eligibility to Certain F-1 Students Seeking OPT or STEM OPT Extensions and Makes Online Filing AvailableOn January 4, 2023, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a proposed rule to increase fees for most immigration benefit requests. If implemented, employers will pay significantly more for most nonimmigrant and immigrant filings. The fee increases projects to boost revenues by over $4.5 billion providing USCIS
Continue Reading New Year, New Fees: Proposed USCIS Fee IncreasesBy: Dawn Lurie, Matthew Parker* and Amber Stokes*
As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) continues to deal with their backlogs, they have announced that, effective September 26, 2022, USCIS is automatically extending the validity of expired Forms I-551, Permanent Resident Card ( or “PRC”), commonly known as a
Continue Reading Treats from USCIS to LPRs: Green Card Validity ExtensionBy: Dawn Lurie, Matthew Parker, and Amber Olson
On July 22, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a reminder regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) termination of the COVID-19 temporary policy allowing employers to accept expired List B documents for the Form I-9. As of May
Continue Reading The End is Near: COVID-19 List B Document Temporary Policy Ends