By: Dawn Lurie, Mia Batista, and Fanny Wong

On January 20, 2025, the Trump administration issued the Securing Our Borders executive order, citing national security, crime prevention, and the protection of American interests as justification for terminating categorical parole programs for certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Then

Continue Reading Venezuelan 2023 TPS and CHNV Parole Get the Axe—What Employers Need to Know

By: Peace Ibe and Mia Batista

In a significant policy update, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially waived the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for individuals applying for Adjustment of Status (AOS). Effective January 22, 2024, USCIS will no longer require applicants to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of

Continue Reading USCIS Removes COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Adjustment of Status Applicants

By: Dawn Lurie, Olivia Scofield, and Isabella Cohen

This blog was updated from a Seyfarth Legal Alert published on January 16.

On January 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced important changes that will benefit noncitizens who have applied for or currently hold Temporary Protected

Continue Reading Parting Gifts from the Biden Administration: TPS Extensions Ukraine, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Sudan

By: Andrea Davis

The U.S. Department of State announced a significant update to the Exchange Visitor Skills List, effective as of December 9, 2024.  This action is in response to an Executive Order issued last year, in which the Biden Administration gave instructions to “consider initiating a rulemaking

Continue Reading Understanding the New Exchange Visitor Skills List Update

The Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually through a random selection process from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Although it is a highly competitive process, the DV lottery can still be a

Continue Reading Diversity Visa Lottery: A Guide for U.S. Employers

By: Marcus Hobson and Mahsa Aliaskari

October 1 marks the start of the government’s fiscal year, signaling the release of at least 140,000 new employment-based immigrant visa numbers to be allocated across categories and nationalities in the new fiscal year.  With the exception of one particular subsection, the October 2024

Continue Reading October 2024 Visa Bulletin: Key Highlights and Implications

On July 18th, 2024, the Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC), introduced new updates for intra-company transfers using exemption codes C61, C62, and C63 related to Canada’s Intra-Company Transfer (ICT).  The ICT program allows multinational companies to transfer key employees to their Canadian branches. This program is crucial for

Continue Reading Canadian Immigration – Updates Intra-Company Transfer Rules: What You Need to Know

Recent processing time trends at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) are raising concerns for both Employers and F-1 visa holders relying on automatic extensions of work authorization while awaiting the processing of their F-1 STEM Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extension applications.

While USCIS published processing time data reflects

Continue Reading Navigating Delays: The F-1 STEM EAD Waiting Game Considerations for Employees and Employers

For many highly skilled international workers, securing an H-1B visa in the United States can be elusive. With this year’s lottery results announced, employers find themselves exploring alternative strategies to retain invaluable talent. Among these strategies is the consideration of relocating talent to Canada, where a range of enticing options

Continue Reading Not Selected in the H-1B CAP? Discover Opportunities in Canada: Exploring Alternatives for Talent Retention

Seyfarth Synopsis: On April 29, 2024, the Department of Labor published extensive guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in hiring and employment. While the guidance is addressed to federal contractors, all private-sector employers using or considering using artificial intelligence should pay attention. The guidance makes clear that long-standing

Continue Reading Department of Labor Issues Comprehensive Artificial Intelligence “Promising Practices” Designed to Avoid Bias: All Employers Should Take Note