Search
Contact
Login
Share this article
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that Australia is now an official Global Entry partner country, making Australia one of 19 partner countries whose citizens can apply for Global Entry membership.
Key Points:
Additional Information: Global Entry is one of CBP’s four Trusted Traveler Programs. The program also provides access to TSA PreCheck for eligible members, offering quicker security screening for domestic travelers at participating U.S. airports.
Additional Global Entry partner countries include Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Panama, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
Global Entry partnerships enhance security and promote bilateral trade, tourism and cultural exchange by allowing pre-vetted, low-risk Australian citizens expedited customs and immigration processing upon arrival to the U.S.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.
Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
In this week’s episode, Gabe Mozes and Jeff Robins introduce BAL’s newest office in Atlanta and litigation service group while diving into their deep experience in immigration.
Explore more episodes of the BAL Immigration Report podcast, available on Apple, Spotify and the BAL immigration news page.
This podcast has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated policy guidance to clarify how it evaluates eligibility for the second preference employment-based (EB-2) classification for immigrant petitions filed with a request for a national interest waiver (NIW).
Additional Information: While an EB-2 petition is typically filed by an employer after obtaining a labor certification from the Department of Labor, USCIS can waive this requirement if it is in the interest of the United States. Petitioners seeking an NIW must first demonstrate that they qualify for the underlying EB-2 classification as either a member of the professions holding an advanced degree or an individual of exceptional ability in the sciences, arts or business.
The Labor Department has posted updated processing times for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications and prevailing wage determination (PWD) requests.
PERM Processing Times: As of Jan. 1, 2025, the department was adjudicating PERM applications filed in September 2023 and earlier and reviewing appeals for reconsideration filed in July 2024 and earlier.
Average Number of Days to Process PERM Applications
PWD Processing Times: As of Jan. 1, 2025, the National Prevailing Wage Center was processing PWD requests filed in June 2024 and earlier for H-1B Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and non-OEWS cases, and for PERM OEWS cases and non-OEWS cases.
Redeterminations were being considered on appeals filed in September 2024 and earlier for H-1B and PERM cases.
Center Director Reviews were being conducted for H-1B cases filed in August 2024 and earlier, and PERM cases filed in April 2024 and earlier.
The Edakunni v. Mayorkas settlement, in which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agreed to simultaneous adjudications of “bundled” H-4 and L-2 applications for dependent status and employment authorization, is set to expire on Jan. 18.
Additional Information: During the first Trump administration, USCIS had started to “unbundle” adjudications of concurrently filed I-539 and I-765 applications for L-2 and H-4 dependents due to a biometrics requirement. The delays associated with these applications resulted in dependents not having a valid status document for several weeks or sometimes months as well as extended gaps in work authorization.
The 2023 Edakunni v. Mayorkas settlement was a form of relief for L-2 and H-4 dependents, specifically as it relates to these spouses maintaining their U.S. work authorization, ability to timely renew their driver’s licenses and other nonimmigration benefits that may require them to have a valid I-94 or employment authorization document.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has not officially announced the exact start date of the H-1B fiscal year (FY) 2026 cap season, but there are important reminders regarding the H-1B electronic registration process and H-1B cap season that employers should consider with their preparations and planning for hiring foreign nationals.
Additional Information: Updates to the FY 2026 H-1B registration process reflect the final rule for H-1B modernization published on Dec. 18, 2024, with provisions taking effect Jan. 17, 2025.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published a Federal Register notice providing updated procedures for submitting a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, accompanied by a permanent labor certification, application for Schedule A designation or national interest waiver (NIW) request.
Additional Information: Since June 1, 2023, USCIS has been adjudicating Form I-140 petitions filed with permanent labor certification Final Determinations, Schedule A applications and NIW requests using the edition of the Form ETA-9089 and applicable appendices developed for the FLAG system. This update is meant to make the public aware of the new documentary requirements for permanent labor certification approvals, Schedule A applications and NIW requests submitted with Form I-140 petitions following the implementation of the FLAG system.
More information on Form I-140 petition filing and processing procedures can be found here.
The State Department announced records set by the Bureau of Consular Affairs under the Biden-Harris administration, including U.S. passport and visa services.
Additional Information: The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has been at the forefront of protecting U.S. citizens, enabling global travel and commerce that powers the U.S. economy, and improving federal customer service while safeguarding national security.
The U.S. State Department released the February Visa Bulletin. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced filings for employment-based preference categories must use the Final Action Dates chart, which will remain the same as January except for China and India.
Final Action Dates:
EB-1
EB-2
EB-3
Final Action Dates Chart for Employment-Based Visa Applications
Category
The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department announced the designation of Romania as a participating country in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
Additional Information: The VWP is a culmination of comprehensive security partnerships between the United States and designated countries that meet strict requirements related to counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration enforcement, document security and border management.
A recent DHS rule change updates the agency’s practice for notifying the public of countries designated for participation in the VWP. The definition of “designated country” was amended to refer to countries that the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated for VWP participation and remove references to specific countries in the regulations. Notification will be made available on the DHS U.S. Visa Waiver Program website.