On April 11, 2025, a significant change to US immigration enforcement took effect. The United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), began implementing a new registration requirement for certain foreign nationals physically present in the United States for 30 days or longer. This change stems from President Trump’s January 2025 Executive Order titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion and is detailed in an Interim Final Rule published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2025. This post explains what the new registration requirement entails, who it affects, and what actions foreign nationals must take to remain in compliance with US immigration law.
Read moreDHS Publishes H-1B Modernization Final Rule to Improve Program Integrity and Efficiency
On December 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published a Final rule in the Federal Register modernizing and increasing the efficiency of the H-1B program, adding benefits and flexibilities, and improving integrity measures. This rule will become effective January 17, 2025.
The final rule imposes changes to the H-1B program and codifies a number of existing rules. We must point out that the final rule is quite lengthy; therefore, our summary does not cover all of the changes. We have outlined a few of the most notable updates and changes below which we feel may be of most interest to our community.
Read moreDHS Permanently Increases Automatic Extension of Certain Employment Authorization Documents for Certain Applicants
On December 10, 2024, The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced a permanent increase in the automatic extension period for employment authorization documents (“EADs”) up to 540-days from the current 180-days period for certain applicants who timely and properly filed their Form I-765 applications for work authorization.
Read moreDHS to Introduce AI Pilot Programs
On March 18, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced three planned pilot programs to be introduced this year which will utilize artificial intelligence (“AI”) for the advancement of homeland security. DHS’ first “Artificial Intelligence Roadmap” outlines how the government will use AI to deliver “meaningful benefits to the American public and advance homeland security, while ensuring that individuals’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are protected.”
Read moreUSCIS Fee Increases to Begin April 1, 2024
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced the publication of a final rule to adjust immigration and naturalization requests fees. Noting that the fee increase is the first since 2016, and necessary for recovering the costs of operations, the new fees will be effective on April 1, 2024. The new fee schedule table details the filing fees to be collected by petition or application type. “For individual filers, the final rule generally limits newly established fees to no more than the increase in the Consumer Price Index since 2016, which is 26%.” However, the fees associated with employment-based visas and employer sponsored green card petitions have been significantly increased.
Read moreDHS Publishes Proposed Rule to Modernize H-1B Program
On October 23, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register to “modernize the H-1B specialty occupation worker program.” There is a sixty-day notice and comment period for the proposed rule, and the public is invited to submit comments on the Federal Register website.
The proposed rule sets out to impose changes to the H-1B program, as well as to codify a number of existing rules. We must point out that the proposed rule is quite lengthy; therefore, our summary does not cover all of the proposed changes. We will outline a few of the most notable proposed changes below which we feel may be of most interest to our community.
Read moreH-1B Visa Domestic Visa Renewal Pilot Program Set to Start in January 2024
On November 28, 2023, the Department of State (“DOS”) announced the launch of a Pilot Program which will permit an initial Twenty Thousand H-1B visa holders to renew their visas by mailing them to the State Department rather than having to travel abroad to renew. The program which was first made public in February 2023 is set to debut in January 2024.
Read more180-Day Automatic Extensions of Employment Authorization Documents
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on October 27, 2023, they would be reverting back to 180-day automatic extensions of employment authorization and EAD validity for those eligible applicants who timely file a Form I-765 renewal application on or after October 27, 2023. This announcement follows a Temporary Final Rule (“TRF”) adopted by USCIS from May 4, 2022, through October 26, 2023, which increased the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) available to certain EAD renewal applicants up to 540-days. Please note that this change to automatic 180-day renewals does not affect beneficiaries who were granted automatic extensions of up to 540-days during the time the TRF was in effect. For beneficiaries of the 540-day extension, the increased automatic extension “will end when they receive a final decision on their renewal application or when the up to 540-day period expires (counted from the expiration date of the employment authorization and/or their EAD), whichever comes earlier.”
Read moreUSCIS Updates EAD Authorization to Five Years for Certain Noncitizens, Including Adjustment of Status Applicants
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on September 27, 2023, it is increasing the maximum validity for initial and renewal of Employment Authorization Documents (“EADs”) to 5 years for certain noncitizens. Applicants for initial and renewal EADs, including applicants for adjustment of status, in both employment and family based categories, will receive an EAD with a maximum five-year validity, as opposed to two-years. This change is being implemented by USCIS immediately, “and applies to Applications for Employment Authorization, that are pending or are filed on or after September 27, 2023.”
Read moreUS Implements Limits to Hungarian Nationals’ ESTA Authorizations
On August 1, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced the validity period for travel to the US offered to citizens or nationals of Hungary under the Visa Waiver Program (“VWP”) utilizing the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (“ESTA”) has been reduced from two years to one year. Additionally, only single visits will be allowed under each ESTA application, as opposed to multiple entries. According to the US Embassy in Budapest, the reduction of ESTA validity is due to the “Hungarian Government’s inaction” to meet VWP security requirements in line with its “simplified naturalization process” granting Hungarian citizenship “to nearly one million people between 2011 and 2020 without adequate security measures in place to verify their identities.” The reduction in ESTA validity will affect new ESTA applications received after the implementation of the regulation on August 1, 2023 and is not retroactive. All ESTA approvals granted before August 1, 2023 remain valid for two years and more than one entry.