Federal Judge Orders Government to Begin Accepting New DACA Applications

Late last week, United States District Judge John Bates, presiding in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must begin accepting all applications for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which had been suspended since 2017. » Read More

Humberta and Oscar Campos entered the United States in 1989.  The couple crossed the border between Mexico and Texas.  With family in New Jersey, the couple moved to Bridgeton, a small town of just over 25,000 residents.

Things were much different in the 80s and early 90s.  » Read More

Teresa Giudice, best known for starring in The Real Housewives of New Jersey, may soon become a “Real Housewife of Italy.”  NBC-New York recently reported that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has commenced deportation proceedings against the reality star’s husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, who is serving time in federal prison for a 2014 bankruptcy fraud conviction. » Read More

H-1B Visas

The number of applications for H-1B visas – reserved for foreign professionals seeking to work in skilled positions in the United States – is expected to rise this year, and employers need to prepare accordingly.

The law caps the number of available visas at 85,000 (with 20,000 reserved for those with a master’s degree), and the 85,000 recipients are chosen at random through a lottery system.  » Read More

Following the Administration’s March 2017 halt to premium processing for H1-B Premium Processing services, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the premium processing halt on certain H-1B petitions would resume again for another group of H-1B petitions:  (1) when the visa petition has been accepted under the Fiscal Year 2018 cap (during the five business days in April of 2017); and (2) is still pending.  » Read More

Following the Administration’s March 2017 halt to premium processing for H1-B Premium Processing services, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that, effective immediately, premium processing would resume for certain petitions that may be exempt from the H-1B annual cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year. » Read More

United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has again changed the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.  On July 17, 2017, USCIS published the revised version, which employers are mandated to use effective September 18, 2017.  Until then, employers may continue to use the current Form I-9.  » Read More

Following the Administration’s March 2017 halt to premium processing for Physicians under the Conrad 30 J-1 Waiver Program, United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on June 23 that premium processing would resume.  Premium processing allows for USCIS application processing within 15 days at an additional cost. » Read More