Ireland: Critical Skills Employment Permit to Stamp 4 Transition Update
Effective from 30 November 2023, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) will cease taking applications for Stamp 4 support letters. All applications received by DETE prior to 30 November 2023 will continue to be processed, as usual. From 1 December...
Apple Enters into Settlement Agreement with DOJ Based on Alleged Improprieties in its PERM Recruitment Process
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that it had entered into a Settlement Agreement with Apple Inc. (Apple) based upon the finding by the DOJ’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) that Apple had engaged in discriminatory recruitment and hiring...
December 2023 Visa Bulletin Issued: Rest of the World EB-1 Category Remains Current; EB-1 India Remains Retrogressed; No Movement in All Other Categories
The U.S. Department of State has released its December 2023 Visa Bulletin imposing per-country cut-off dates that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications and consular Immigrant Visa application filings and...
USCIS Issues Proposed Rule to Reform Certain Aspects of the H-1B Nonimmigrant Category
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued yesterday a Proposed Rule that seeks to implement significant changes in the H-1B Specialty Occupation nonimmigrant category, including modernizing H-1B petition requirements and providing a greater...
Ireland: ISD Advises Foreign Nationals to Submit IRP Renewals Before 31 October 2023, if Travelling During Festive Season
The Immigration Services Registration Office Burgh Quay Dublin is encouraging foreign nationals intending to travel over the December festive period, whose current permission is approaching expiry, to submit an online renewal application before 31 October 2023. This...
November 2023 Visa Bulletin Issued: Dates for Filing to be Used; No Change from Last Month’s Cut-Off Dates for Filing
The U.S. Department of State has released its November 2023 Visa Bulletin imposing per-country cut-off dates that regulate immigrant visa availability and the flow of Adjustment of Status (AOS) applications and consular Immigrant Visa application filings and...
United Kingdom: Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) Scheme Launch
Starting on October 25, 2023, the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme, to enter the United Kingdom, will launch for Qatari nationals initially, followed by nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on February 1, 2024....
Israeli Citizens Will be Eligible for the United States Visa Waiver Program on November 30, 2023
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department have announced that Israel has been admitted into the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This means that citizens and nationals of Israel will be allowed to enter the United States in B-1 Visitor...
USCIS Increases the Validity Period of Certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to Five Years
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that it is revising its Policy Manual to increase the maximum available validity period of initial and renewal Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) from one or two years to five years. This increase...
The Potential Federal Shutdown and its Effect on the U.S. Immigration Process
What is Happening? The deadline for Congress to pass a new budget to keep funding the federal government agencies is midnight on Saturday, September 30. The federal agencies responsible for administering the United States immigration process are United States...