DHS today published in the Federal Register a proposed regulation that would make changes to existing rules relating to highly skilled nonimmigrant workers. The proposed changes are intended to improve and streamline the immigration process for certain workers, and the proposal contains a number of key improvements. The proposal contains a number of […]
The House and Senate have both approved the terms of the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016,” also commonly referred to as the Omnibus budget bill. This bill is primarily focused on setting the budget for a wide range of federal agencies and programs, but this year’s Omnibus budget bill also contains several changes to U.S. […]
According to a notice posted today in the Federal Register, the Department of Labor is planning to publish a proposed new regulation in April 2016 to modernize the PERM labor certification process. The proposed regulation is part of an ongoing effort by DOL to update the PERM labor certification process to better align it […]
USCIS posted a notice in the Federal Register on November 24, 2015 proposing changes to Form I-9, the Employment Eligibility Verification form that all employers must complete with each new employee hire. Completion of Form I-9 is mandatory regardless of a new hire’s immigration status.
USCIS summarized the reasons for the proposed changes on its […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had received more than 50,000 comments on the proposed STEM OPT rule, which is discussed in SPS Immigration’s October 26, 2015 post. Many of the comments were from individuals, but a number of businesses and industry groups also provided comments, including the U.S. Chamber […]
USCIS published today a draft policy memorandum to help clarify whether a new job is in the “same or similar occupational classification” for purposes of Section 204(j) Job Portability for permanent residence. Job portability permits a foreign national to change jobs to one that is the “same or similar” when s/he has an approved […]
CBP today announced that participation in the Global Entry program will open to UK citizens traveling to the U.S. in nonimmigrant status effective December 3, 2015. Global Entry is a CBP Trusted Traveler program that allows for expedited clearance of pre-approved, low-risk travelers, and it significantly speeds processing through immigration when returning to the […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently published for notice and comment proposed new rules relating to the STEM extension of Optional Practical Training for F-1 students. DHS undertook this regulatory process due to the ruling by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, discussed in SPS Immigration’s August 13, […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a Regulatory Agenda Notice today in the Federal Register indicating that the agency will soon be issuing a proposed regulation intended to modernize certain aspects of the employment-based green card process. While the Notice provides very little detail, it does state that DHS is intending to propose […]
In an unexpected development, the Department of State issued a revised bulletin on September 25, 2015. The new Visa Bulletin changes the filing eligibility dates that were to become effective on October 1, 2015, and many individuals who would have been able to file adjustment of status applications will no longer be able to do […]