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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has opened the 90-day filing period for petitioners whose registrations were selected in this year’s H-1B lottery. Key Points: The H-1B registration period closed Monday, March 25, and USCIS subsequently completed the random selection process for the H-1B master’s and general cap. The
The Taiwanese government announced several changes to immigration policy, effective March 1. Key Points: Foreign nationals may now apply for an extension of their visitor visa at the National Immigration Agency for a fee of 300 New Taiwan dollars (about US$9.39), provided that they were originally
Effective April 1, Israel’s minimum monthly salary will be updated to 5,880 NIS (about US$1,600) gross per month. Key Points: • The new minimum monthly salary will apply to foreign nationals employed in short-term employment authorization programs, as well as to 2(a)(5) asylum and protection seekers and general B-1 visa holders. • Employers
The Council of Ministers approved an increase in the monthly minimum wage for this year to €1,134 (about US$1,214) in 14 payments. Key Points: The new minimum wage, which is expected to benefit an estimated 2.5 million workers, will be backdated to Jan. 1, 2024. The
Dutch authorities have updated the document retention requirements for recognized sponsors employing certain highly skilled migrants. Key Points: Recognized sponsors are currently required to retain pay slips and diploma copies for highly skilled migrants who were subject to reduced salary thresholds for five years after their
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has begun sending H-1B cap selection notices to myUSCIS accounts and will continue doing so over the next few days, the agency said Thursday. The initial registration submission period for the fiscal year 2025 H-1B cap season closed at noon EDT on Monday, March 25.
A federal judge denied a motion to halt the implementation of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services fee increases Friday. This means the fee increases will take effect as scheduled on Monday, April 1. Key Points: The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on Jan. 31 to increase USCIS filing
The Home Office published a statement of changes providing further details and additional updates to immigration rules intended to reduce net migration. Key Points: As BAL previously reported, the Home Office announced a plan in December to cut net migration by
Canadian officials announced upcoming changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program as part of an effort to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada. Key Points: As BAL previously reported, the Canadian government has recently announced reforms to raise the
A regulation that will increase U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services filing fees, change premium processing time frames and require petitioners to use new versions of commonly used forms is set to take effect Monday, April 1. Key Points: Base fee increases. Immigration filing fees will increase significantly. For example, the fee
The Department of Homeland Security has announced the extension and redesignation of Myanmar for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months, from May 26, 2024, to Nov. 25, 2025. Key Points: The TPS extension will allow currently eligible TPS beneficiaries from Myanmar to retain TPS through Nov. 25, 2025, provided they continue
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Thursday that it would extend the H-1B cap registration period to Monday. Key Points: Registration was previously set to end at noon ET on Friday, March 22. It has been extended through noon ET on Monday, March 25. In announcing the extension, USCIS said
New Zealand has taken action to increase its minimum wage for seasonal workers, create a new Ukraine Resident Visa, and update its List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment (LQEA). Key Points On April 1, the minimum wage for Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers increases to NZ$25.47 (about US$15.50) from NZ$24.97, which
Groups representing employers and visa applicants sued the Department of Homeland Security Tuesday, aiming to stop dramatic increases to immigration filing fees from taking effect. Key Points: The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on Jan. 31 to increase U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services filing fees for
Employers are reminded that registration for H-1B cap petitions for fiscal year 2025 closes this Friday. Key Points: H-1B registration opened at noon EST on March 6 and will run through noon EDT on March 22. During this time, petitioners for H-1B beneficiaries can use their U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
The U.S. Department of Labor has posted updated processing times for permanent labor certification (PERM) applications. PERM Processing: As of Feb. 29, the department was adjudicating applications filed in February 2023 and earlier, conducting audit reviews on applications filed in December 2022 and earlier, and reviewing appeals for reconsideration filed in
Immigrant visa issuance continued to climb in fiscal year 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic totals, according to recently published State Department statistics. According to the Report of the Visa Office 2023, the State Department issued a total of 562,976 immigrant visas, up more than 14% from last year’s total of 493,448. Visa issuance
H-1B registration has closed and petition filing begins next week. The government opens an H-2B cap for returning workers. And a look at how employers have been preparing for major USCIS filing fee increases. Get this news and more in the new episode of
A lawsuit aims to stop U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services fee hikes. State Department data shows a continued increase in green card issuance. And with March Madness tipping off, the BAL Sports & Entertainment team creates a tournament bracket of their own. Get this