On Dec. 21, 2023, the US Department of State (DOS) published a proposed rule, “Pilot Program To Resume Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States for Certain Qualified Noncitizens.” It announced what has been long anticipated: a program to allow certain H-1B visa holders to renew their visas while they reside in the United States.Continue Reading H-1B visas for applicants present in the US to be renewed again
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has again released a new and updated version of Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification document. Since November 1986, all U.S. employers have been required to complete and retain the Form I-9 for new employees. Effective January 31, 2020, employers should use the new Form I-9, available online in PDF format. The latest version of the Form I-9 is mandatory as of May 1, 2020, and it replaces the prior version in use since September 2018. You can identify the new version of the form by the date (10/21/2019) noted at the bottom-left corner; the prior version was dated 07/17/2017-N. Although employers may use the prior version up to April 30, USCIS recommends using the updated form for any new employees hired on or after January 31, 2020.
Continue Reading Employer Alert: revised Form I-9 effective January 31, 2020
Foreign nationals, especially spouses and dependents of nonimmigrant workers and students, are warned that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising the Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status. This form is used by nonimmigrants to extend their stay in the U.S. or change to another nonimmigrant status, as well as for F and M students applying for reinstatement. The new form was issued on March 11, 2019 and after March 21, 2019, USCIS will accept only the newly revised version of the form, with an edition date of Feb. 4, 2019. All other versions of the form, including the current one dated Dec. 23, 2016, will be rejected. Additionally a new Form I-539A, Supplemental Information for Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, generally used to extend or change status of dependent children, has been being revised and published.
Continue Reading New forms I-539 and I-539A, and additional fees, required on March 21, 2019
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is again releasing a new and updated version of Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification document. Since November 1986, all U.S. employers have been required to complete and retain the I-9 for new employees. The most recent version of the form went into effect on Jan. 22, 2017, but, for some unknown reason, USCIS is now issuing another version. This new version will be mandatory as of Sept. 18, 2017. The easiest way to identify the new form is by the date (07/17/17) noted in the bottom left corner; the prior version was dated 11/14/2016.
A couple of points to bear in mind:
Continue Reading Employer alert: Revised I-9 form required beginning Sept. 18, 2017
USCIS recently released a revised version of Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification document. Since November 1986, all U.S. employers have been required to complete and retain the I-9 for all new employees. Employers may continue using the I-9 form dated March 8, 2013 until Jan. 22, 2017, when the use of the revised form becomes mandatory. It remains a 3 page form, but there are minor revisions, including a separate supplemental page for a preparer/translator and an “additional information” box on page 2, but there is also a new user-friendly online PDF “smart” version of the form available at http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
Continue Reading Employer alert: Revised I-9 Form required beginning Jan. 22, 2017
It is again the time for U.S. employers to begin considering filing H-1B petitions for prospective new foreign national employees. These petitions can be submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on or after April 1, 2016 for employment beginning no earlier than Oct. 1, 2016, the beginning of the government’s 2017 fiscal year. The H-1B visa category provides for the temporary employment of foreign nationals who will work in “specialty occupations,” or those jobs for which at least a bachelor’s degree in a particular field is required, such as engineers, teachers, accountants, and many professional information technology positions.. The problem is that there are only 85,000 H-1B visas available each year and we again expect, as in years past, for these numbers to be quickly claimed.
Continue Reading Employer alert: a new H-1B filing season brings hope and anxiety
Effective May 26, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin processing applications to grant employment authorization for certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrant workers. The application for employment authorization (Form I-765) must be submitted to USCIS, in paper form only, with the filing fee of $380 and supporting documents showing eligibility for
“I try not to worry about the future – so I take each day just one anxiety attack at a time.” Tom Wilson, American cartoonist (not an immigration lawyer)
Beginning April 1, USCIS began accepting cap-subject H-1B petitions for the 2016 fiscal year, and thus another flood of petitions washed over USCIS Service Centers
A new year brings new challenges and opportunities, especially for U.S. employers, and it is now time to begin considering filing H-1B petitions for prospective new foreign national employees. These petitions can be submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on or after April 1, 2015 for employment beginning no earlier than October 1,
This year brings more bad news for employers who filed H-1B petitions for foreign workers beginning on April 1, 2014. On April 10, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received about 172,500 H-1B petitions, far above the 85,000 H-1B visas available each year (65,000 being available for bachelor degree-level graduates, with