Training Document on Particular Social Groups Made Public | A PowerPoint presentation apparently given to asylum officers at USCIS was made public in late April, providing insight into the agency’s handling of potential claims for asylum based... Read More

Administration Takes Executive Action on Immigration | On November 20, 2014, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson issued a series of memoranda as part of a much-anticipated “executive action” to remedy problems in the nation’s... Read More

DHS Will Provide Work Authorization to Certain H-4 Spouses | The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule on February 25, 2015, that will soon allow H-4 dependent spouses of certain nonimmigrants with H-1B status to apply for employment... Read More

DHS Issues New Rules for Transformation to Electronic Form I-94 On March 27, the Department of Homeland Security issued an interim final rule intended to facilitate the transition of Form I-94 from paper to electronic format at air and sea ports of... Read More

H-2B Interim Final Rule Expected in April | On March 4, 2015, the federal district court in the Northern District of Florida vacated the Department of Labor's (DOL) 2008 H-2B regulations on the ground that the DOL lacks authority under the INA... Read More

Funding Bill Imposes Restrictions on VWP, Increases H and L Fees, Makes H-2B Changes The omnibus funding bill enacted in December contained provisions restricting participation in the Visa Waiver Program by applicants who are nationals of or who have... Read More

Supreme Court: Padilla Did Not Create New Rule: No Retroactive Application to Cases on Collateral Review On February 20, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Chaidez v. United States. The majority of the Court held that the decision in Padilla... Read More

Napolitano Resigns as Secretary of Homeland Security On July 12, 2013, Janet Napolitano announced her resignation as Secretary of Homeland Security, a position she has held since the start of the Obama administration. Napolitano will remain in her... Read More

2014 Diversity Visas Online registration for the DV-2014 Program will begin on Tuesday, October 2, 2012, at 12 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), and conclude on Saturday, November 3, 2012, at 12:00 noon, Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4... Read More

DHS Designates Chile for Visa Waiver Program On February 28, 2014, the Department of Homeland Security announced the entry of Chile into the Visa Waiver Program. Beginning May 1, 2014, Chilean nationals will be able to visit the United States for up... Read More

USCIS Clarifies “Reason to Believe” Standard for I-601A Provisional Waivers | On March 18, 2014, USCIS sent an e-mail to stakeholders seeking to cure confusion surrounding the regulation that prohibits the granting of provisional waivers... Read More

ICE Issues Directive Limiting Detention of Parents On August 23, 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a directive intended to limit the detention of parents and other guardians of minor children during removal proceedings and to allow... Read More

Administration Revises Policy on False Claims to Citizenship: In a pair of letters sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in late August and early September, the administration confirmed that individuals charged with making false claims... Read More

White House Releases Refugee Ceilings for FY 2015 | On September 30, 2014, the White House released a presidential memorandum capping the number of refugee admissions at 70,000 for the upcoming fiscal year and authorizing citizens of some countries... Read More

USCIS Releases Draft Guidance on Extreme Hardship | On October 7, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued draft guidance for public comment on the factors the agency considers in determining whether the denial of an application... Read More