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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
EU member states’ ambassadors have agreed on a draft regulation that would let the EU suspend visa-free travel for countries whose citizens are exempt from visa obligations when traveling to the Schengen area. Key Points: Under the new mechanism, the EU would have the following new grounds to suspend the visa-free
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced this week that it will implement a streamlined process to provide Employment Authorization Documents to eligible refugees after they are admitted to the United States. Key Points: The new process was soft-launched last year on Dec. 10 following a successful trial period. The new process
Chinese officials announced the expansion of their unilateral visa-free entry policy to six additional countries: Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Key Points: The government has enacted visa-free treatment to travelers holding ordinary passports from the six aforementioned countries on a trial basis. From March 14 to Nov. 30, 2024,
The United Kingdom’s Migration Advisory Committee recently recommended that 21 roles be included on the new Immigration Salary List. The ISL is set to replace the U.K.’s Shortage Occupation List, which was the official list of skilled jobs for which workers are deemed to be
The Nigerian government announced the temporary suspension of the Expatriate Employment Levy on March 8, pending further consultation with stakeholders. Key Points: Full implementation was set to launch on March 15 through April 15, 2024. The decision to suspend the EEL followed a meeting with the
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
A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit challenging a Biden administration immigration program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announces it has reached the H-2B cap for the second half of the fiscal year. And an H-1B cap update with BAL Senior Associate Matt Dillinger. Get