Recent Posts in In the News Posted By USI Law 22-Jan-2021 Trump's DHS Makes Last Gasp Efforts to Eliminate H-1B Visa Program Trump’s DHS Makes Last Gasp Efforts to Eliminate H-1B Visa Program DHS and DOL Rules Aim to Make H-1B Filings Impossible The Trump Administration in its assault on immigration has, in a last gasp effort, attempted to fatally undermine the ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 22-Jan-2021 President Biden Puts All Recent Trump Regulations in Abeyance President Biden Puts All Recent Trump Regulations in Abeyance Trump Regulations to Decapitate Business Immigration Withdrawn or Postponed President Biden went into action immediately after his swearing-in ceremony by signing a series of executive ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 22-Jan-2021 President Biden's Immigration Proposal President Biden’s Immigration Proposal Republican Senators Pour Cold Water. Indicate Narrower Bill Maybe Possible. President Biden’s comprehensive immigration proposals arrived on Capitol Hill and was immediately met with strong ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 4-Aug-2020 URGENT IMMIGRATION UPDATES Trump Administration Moves to Further Restrict H-1B Visas Prohibition of H-1B Visa Holders on Federal Contracts Additional Measures in 45 Days to Subvert the H-1B Visa Program The Trump Administration, through an Executive Order, moved aggressively ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 15-Jul-2020 URGENT IMMIGRATION UPDATES Trump Administration Rescinds Draconian Measures Targeting F-1 Students The Trump Administration has reached a deal with U.S. Universities to extend the ability of international students with F-1 visas to take fully online course loads while ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 29-May-2020 IMMIGRATION UPDATES USCIS IS REOPENING OFFICES ON JUNE 4th U.S. GOV’T SUPPORTS H-4 EAD PROGRAM IN COURT NEW USCIS ACTION EXPECTED IN 90-DAYS AS A RESULT OF THE ITServe Alliance, Inc. SETTLEMENT BI-PARTISAN BILL INTRODUCED TO RECONFIGURE H-1B AND L-1 VISAS The ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 24-Apr-2020 PRESIDENTIAL EXECTIVE ORDER RESTRICTING IMMIGRATION 60 Day Suspension for Immigrant Visas Impacts Those Outside U.S. 30 Day Timeline for Recommendations on Restrictions for NonImmigrant Visas The President of the United States, Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order that imposed a 60- day ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 24-Apr-2020 Presidential Executive Order Not Expected To Impact Nonimmigrant Visas (including H-1B and L-1) Will Freeze Most Immigrant Visas Including Employer Sponsored Greencards In a rapidly developing story, the President is expected to announce far-reaching restrictions on immigration to the United States during his daily briefing later this ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 27-Mar-2020 USCIS Enables 60 Day Extensions For RFE's & NOIDS Effective for Notices Issued between March 1, 2020 and May 1, 2020 The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has enacted a measure that will extend the deadline for Requests for Evidence (RFEs) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs), ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 20-Mar-2020 USCIS Suspends Premium Processing For Form I-129 And I-140 Petitions USCIS Will Accept Reproduced Original Signatures The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced the suspension of Premium Processing for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions due to the Coronavirus emergency. While this is ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 20-Mar-2020 USCIS Suspends Premium Processing For Form I-129 And I-140 Petitions USCIS Will Accept Reproduced Original Signatures The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced the suspension of Premium Processing for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions due to the Coronavirus emergency. While this is ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 18-Mar-2020 USCIS Suspends H-1B Premium Processing For FY 2021 Cap Subject Petitions Suspension Does NOT Apply to H-1B Extensions or Amendments The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that FY 2021 H-Cap Petitions will not be eligible for Premium Processing. For H-1B cases filed as a Change of Status from ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 18-Mar-2020 USCIS Closes Offices For In Person Appointments The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced office closings in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the USCIS: “USCIS Offices Temporarily Closed to the Public: As of March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 6-Feb-2020 Federal Register Documents New FY 2021 H-1B Registration Process The U.S. Federal Register has recorded the new USCIS registration process which will be implemented for the FY 2021 H-1B Cap petitions. As stated previously, Petitioners or their Authorized Legal Representatives will be required to electronically ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 6-Feb-2020 USCIS Increases Filing Fees Amid Concerns About Stringent New Regulations The USCIS has released a proposed new rule that impacts multiple categories of immigrant and non-immigrant visas and is rumored to be the first in a series of upcoming measures from the administration. In the 314-page new rule, USCIS states that ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 6-Feb-2020 FY 2021 H-1B Registration Process Detailed The USCIS has announced the successful completion of a registration process which will be implemented for the FY 2021 H-1B Cap petitions. Petitioners or their authorized representatives will be required to electronically register all prospective ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 6-Feb-2020 FY 2021 H-1B Registration Process: Many Questions, Few Answers The USCIS has raised the anxiety levels among practitioners and corporate sponsors by not being fully forthcoming on the new H-1B registration process for FY2021 H-1B Cap subject petitions. The basic construct of the new process will mean that all ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 18-Sep-2019 U.S. Department of State Releases October Visa Bulletin U.S. Department of State Releases October Visa Bulletin Retrogression Is More Severe or Shows Little Movement for Indian Nationals in EB-1 and EB-2 Categories The October Visa Bulletin shows little movement for Indian Nationals – and for cases ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 18-Sep-2019 The Department of Homeland Secutiry Proposes a Minimal Fee of $10 for the Registration of H-1B Cap Subject Petitions The Department of Homeland Security Proposes a Minimal Fee of $10 for the Registration of H-1B Cap Subject Petitions The USCIS is Implementing New Rules for Processing FY2021 H-1B Cap Petitions Through its rules under 8 CFR Part 214, the USCIS ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 30-Jan-2019 The Department of Homeland Security "Announces Final Rule for a More Effective and Efficient H-1B Visa Program" which will go into effect on April 1, 2019 The Final Rule Includes an Electronic Registration Requirement, which will be Suspended for the FY2020 H-1B Cap On January 30, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security announced a final rule “amending regulations governing H-1B cap-subject ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 12-Jan-2018 Business Leaders Speak Out Against Ending DACA As the Trump administration sets its sights on the end of DACA, American business executives are raising their voices in defense of DACA beneficiaries, called Dreamers. More than 400 business leaders have signed their name to a letter to Trump or ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 8-Jan-2018 Why DACA Is Necessary for American Businesses Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a program that protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to America as young children. In addition to providing protection from removal, DACA also authorizes beneficiaries to work legally in ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 16-Dec-2016 Chicago Tech Leaders Worried Immigration Reform Will Hurt Industry Industry leaders in the technology sector have expressed concerns over how the Trump administration’s proposed changes to immigration law could affect their own companies and the American economy over all. While some of these tech leaders were ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 16-Nov-2016 U.S. Employers Will Need to Renew or Gain New H-1B Petitions Soon Does your business employ any specialists that require your sponsorship to stay within the country? If so, they might need to renew their H-1B visas on April 1 st, 2017, the first day the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 7-Nov-2016 U.S. Immigrant Population Hits Record High According to a new survey of the immigrant population in the United States, American immigration has reached an all-time high in recent years, with immigrants comprising 13.3 percent of U.S. residents in 2014. This marks the highest annual percentage ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 8-Sep-2016 Naturalization Eligibility Requirements Clarified by USCIS Over the past couple years, more and more lawful permanent residents are deciding to gain naturalization here in the United States. Despite this encouraging rise, the process of naturalization hasn’t gotten any easier. In fact, understanding ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 19-Aug-2016 Immigration-Related Violations More Heavily Penalized The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) used its administrative powers to implement higher monetary, civil, and criminal penalties to be used against employers who violated the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). The final ruling ... Continue Reading Posted By USI Law 16-Aug-2016 What is the H-1B & L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016? A bipartisan bill known as the H-1B & L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016 has recently been introduced to Congress and it is already turning heads and sparking debate. The purpose of the bill is to prevent firms from hiring additional H-1B visa employees ... Continue Reading