New Border Restrictions Introduced
Starting February 22, 2021, Canada will implement new border restrictions. Please note, that as part of these new requirements, travelers who arrive by air will still need to log their travel and quarantine information in the ArriveCAN app prior to boarding a flight...
USCIS Closes Last Year’s H-1B Cap Season
In March 2020, USCIS opened the annual H-1B cap lottery for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 by conducting its first electronic registration. In prior years, prospective petitioners had to prepare a full H-1B petition and submit it,...
U.S. State Department Announces National Interest Exceptions to COVID-19 Travel Restrictions
President Biden signed a Proclamation on January 25, 2021 that restricts the entry of noncitizen travelers to the U.S. from the Schengen Area (European Union), the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil, China, Iran, and...
FY2022 H-1B Cap Registration Window Announced
USCIS has announced the date for the FY2022 H-1B Cap registration period. Prospective petitioners (employers) and attorneys can set up their online accounts now or use their existing myUSCIS accounts. Registrations for specific beneficiaries seeking H-1B status...
USCIS Memo Signals Policy Shift in Treatment of H-1B Computer Occupations
USCIS recently announced it would stop following a 2017 policy memo that was critical of H-1B computer occupations and that led to a sharp increase in the issuance of RFEs and Denials of H-1B petitions. Background In 2000, a guidance document (the “Way...
Public Charge Rule Under Reconsideration by DHS
On February 2, 2021, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans, which restates the government’s commitment to the full participation of...
Alejandro Mayorkas Sworn in as Secretary of Homeland Security
The U.S. Senate voted today to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Secretary Mayorkas, who was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. as a refugee during his childhood, brings an immigrant perspective to...
Is Your Degree Eligible for STEM OPT?
The Student and Visitor Exchange Program (SEVP) recently updated its list of designated U.S. degrees that are considered part of the STEM fields—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. SEVP did not add or remove degrees, but the new list aligns the degrees...
Travel Restrictions Remain under Biden Administration
One of the campaign promises that the Biden-Harris team made—and implemented on Day 1—was ending the travel ban enacted by the previous administration to block travelers from majority-Muslim and African countries. More than a week after inauguration,...
USCIS Data Shows Decline in H-1B RFEs and Denials
On January 25, 2021, USCIS released its latest quarterly report on the adjudication—including the issuance of RFEs—of Form I-129 petitions. The report breaks down the data by month and quarter for each of the...