This is a written summary of the I-9 Form YouTube session streamed live on Feb 24, 2025, with immigration attorney Brian Burke The blog below was updated September 24, 2026, by Sam Shihab, Esq. Quick answer: The employer bears the primary compliance burden for the I-9 Form, but employees have several important rights and…
This is a written summary of the “H-1B Grace Period Elimination” YouTube session Quick answer: Not yet, but it’s coming. On September 11, 2026, DHS published a proposed rule to eliminate the 60-day grace period for H-1B, L-1, E, O, and TN workers (and their dependents) who lose their job. The rule is not…
End of Visa Interview Waivers: What H-1B & Other Visa Holders Need to Know. Big changes are coming! Starting September 2, the U.S. Department of State is ending visa interview waivers for many nonimmigrant visa categories — including H-1B, L-1, O, F, and more. If you’re applying from abroad or planning international travel, this…
The Form I-485 Supplement J is a relatively new form. As its name suggests, it is a supplemental form to the Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. While the Supplement J is used in employment-based adjustment of status applications to confirm a bona fide job offer still exists or to request…
Recently, USCIS has been approving Employment Authorization documents (EADs) without approving advance parole travel documents (APs) at the same time even though both applications were filed together. For the past ten or so years, USCIS has normally issued EAD/AP cards, or combo cards, when applicants applied for employment authorization and advance parole at the same…
On January 21, 2022, the Departments of State and Homeland Security announced new policies with the goal of attracting and retaining more STEM talent to the US. Below is an explanation of the key changes and clarifications. F-1 OPT/STEM OPT Extensions The Department of Homeland Security published a notice on the Federal Register announcing their…
Dependents of H-1B visa-holders can only maintain valid nonimmigrant status for so long. Once dependents “age out” at twenty-one (21), their H-1B dependent visas are no longer valid. As such, H-1B dependents wishing to lawfully stay within the United States must file petitions seeking to extend the duration of their visas or to obtain a…
H-1B workers are nonimmigrant visa-holders who work for United States employers. These workers obtain H-1B visas, which requires the workers to have a bachelor’s degree or another country’s equivalent degree in a specialized field. H-1B workers have the same rights as U.S. workers, and both groups of workers must be treated equally and fairly. The…
Employers wishing to hire H-1B workers from abroad must comply with numerous requirements under federal law. The H-1B visa program enables professionals to work in the United States in specialty professions that require at least a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent). Employers in the United States seek to hire H-1B workers when they are unable to…
As we discussed in a recent blog “News Flash: Limited Travel from India Due to COVID-19,” in light of the public health conditions in the Republic of India and the recommendations of the CDC, President Biden issued a proclamation on May 4, 2021, limiting the ability of nonimmigrants to enter the U.S. That proclamation will…