By: Jason Burritt, Steven Brouillard, Valerie Salcido, and Victoria Ma

Seyfarth Synopsis:  Effective April 1, USCIS will implement significant filing fee increases, in particular for petition and applications related to employment-based benefits.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule, which will take effect on April 1, 2024, to adjust

By: Weija (Victoria) Ma

Seyfarth Synopsis: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule to increase premium processing fees. The new fees will start on February 26, 2024.

On December 27, 2023, USCIS announced an inflation adjustment to premium processing fees effective February 26, 2024.

Pursuant to the USCIS Stabilization Act, codified through the

By: Jake Campbell, Weija (Victoria) Ma, and Jason Burritt

Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration:

1. Government Shutdown Avoided – For Now

On September 30, 2023, Congress passed a stopgap bill to keep the government running for another 45 days. For more information on potential impacts if the government were to shutdown, please see our legal alert–Potential Government Shutdown: Immigration Consequences for Employers and their Foreign Employeeshere.Continue Reading October 2023 U.S. Immigration Alert

By: Weijia (Victoria) Ma, Jake Campbell, Michelle Gergerian

Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration:

1. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Launched Online Appointment Request Form

On August 21, USCIS launched a new online form for individuals to request in-person appointments at their local field offices. Instead of calling the USCIS Contact Center, individuals can use the online appointment request form to request an in-person appointment at a field office for ADIT stamps, Emergency Advance Parole, and more. However, it is important to note that the requested date and time cannot be guaranteed. USCIS will review the online appointment request form and schedule the individual for an in-person appointment date based on the local field office’s availability.Continue Reading September 2023 U.S. Immigration Alert

By:  Rania Abboud, Nelli Shevchenko, and Gabriele Vennewald

Please note: while we address some country-specific updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this Alert contains information regarding global restrictions and closures as they stand today. Given the constantly changing nature of this situation, we highly recommend reviewing any global mobility inquiries on a case-by-case

By: Jake Campbell and Weijia (Victoria) Ma

Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration:

1. FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration

On March 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that initial registration was complete and that all prospective petitioners with selected registrations selected in the lottery were notified.  Petitioners

By: Nelli Shevchenko

The U.K. Home Office has updated the Employer’s Guidance on Right to Work Checks on 28 February 2023. The guidance contains important information about obligations and compliance processes for UK right to work applications made by UK-based employers. Changes include clarifications on eVisa and BRPs checks, use of ID Service Providers, and

By: Victoria Ma

Seyfarth Synopsis: In its continued efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions. 

As

By: Jake Campbell

Applying for an Immigration visa.

Seyfarth Synopsis: U.S. immigration agencies have started 2023 at full steam and have issued numerous legal updates. The below will provide a summary of these updates that occurred in January 2023:

  1. H-1B Cap Registration

USCIS announced that this year’s cap registration will open on March 1