On June 14, the Biden administration released its Spring 2023 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda), providing the public with an update on the regulatory and deregulatory activities under development across approximately 67 federal departments, agencies and commissions. This release serves as the first Regulatory Agenda for the 2023 year, setting target... View Article
On January 4, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a proposed rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees, which would result in significantly higher fees for employment-based petitioners. USCIS last adjusted fees in 2016, but the most recent fee review conducted by the agency determined that the 2016 fees are... View Article
On January 4, 2023, the Biden administration released the anticipated Fall 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda), providing the public with a detailed glimpse into the regulatory and deregulatory activities under development across approximately 67 federal departments, agencies and commissions. Agendas are generally released in the fall and spring and set... View Article
Effective May 4, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) to increase the automatic extension period of expiring employment authorization documents (EADs) for certain renewal applicants from 180 days to 540 days. Specifically, the TFR applies to three groups of applicants in EAD categories currently eligible for the previous 180-day automatic... View Article
On January 21, President Biden announced several agency programs at the Department of State (DOS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help international STEM students and researchers access certain non-immigrant visas to allow them to study and work in the United States. The programs aim to admit and retain more international scholars to help... View Article
On December 10, the Biden administration issued the Fall 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Regulatory Agenda), providing the public with insights on what various federal agencies expect to work on in terms of regulatory activity in the near- and long-term. In an effort to keep members apprised of upcoming noteworthy regulatory actions,... View Article
On December 13, CUPA-HR and ten other higher education associations sent a letter to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou requesting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extend its previously announced flexibilities on Form I-9 compliance requirements through June 30, 2022. The guidance, which has been extended continuously since March 2020... View Article
On September 29, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California preliminarily enjoined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from implementing or enforcing any part of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fee Schedule and Changes to Certain Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements rule (Fee Rule). The Fee Rule was set to take effect... View Article
Over the past two months there have been several important actions on immigration policy. Below we provide brief summaries of the activity. USCIS Resumes Premium Processing in Phases for Forms I-129 and I-140 On May 29, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will resume premium processing in phases for Forms I-129 and eligible... View Article
This past spring, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced temporary flexibility in complying with Form I-9 requirements. While the initial extension deadline was set for mid-June, DHS has again extended its policy due to continued precautions related to COVID-19. The temporary change provides Form I-9 flexibility through... View Article
On April 27, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made significant updates to the Handbook for Employers: Guidance Completing Form I-9. The handbook is a valuable resource for employers regarding questions on I-9 completion and compliance and addresses many commonly asked questions by employers. The updates to the handbook are effective immediately and... View Article
This blog was contributed by Aaron Blumberg and Patrick Shen of Fragomen Government Strategies and Compliance Group. The COVID-19 public health crisis has compelled the United States and many countries to implement travel restrictions and quarantines. This raises severe immigration-related operational and regulatory compliance concerns, especially for colleges and universities who have highly diverse international... View Article