On December 2, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld preliminary injunctions blocking USCIS from enforcing the “new” Public Charge Rule in 18 states and the District of Columbia.

The Court found the rule was inconsistent with any reasonable interpretation of the statute which requires long-term dependence on government support, not temporary resort to…

On December 1, Judge Jeffrey S. White granted the plaintiffs’ request to set aside two separate rules issued by the Trump Administration that would have drastically undermined the ability of employers to utilize both the H-1B and PERM visa programs. In Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. United States Department of Homeland Security,…

Along with extending its flexibility in allowing virtual Form I-9 employment verification until December 31, 2020, USCIS is also continuing its flexibility with regard to long-pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) applications. USCIS expected that this interim solution would only be necessary through December 1, 2020, but the delays in producing EAD cards have continued.

As…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the arrest of 15 individuals who claimed to work on Optional Practical Training (OPT) for nonexistent companies.  In addition, USCIS notified 700 OPT recipients suspected of being complicit in similar activities that it would revoke their employment authorization.  Further, USCIS notified an additional 400 OPT recipients that…

Announced via Tweet by Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the COVID-related restrictions at the Canadian and Mexican borders have been extended yet again until November 21, 2020. These restrictions apply to land and sea entries and prevent entry for non-essential purposes. Although there continues to be some inconsistency at ports…