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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a Temporary Final Rule (TFR) that increases the automatic extension period for employment authorization and Employment Authorization Documents (EADs), available to certain EAD renewal applicants, to up to 540 days. The increase, which will be effective immediately on May 4, 2022, will help avoid gaps in employment for…

On April 12, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that individuals who previously received deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) may now file Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, online. “The expansion of online filing is a priority for USCIS as we make our operations more efficient and…

On March 31, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the forthcoming publication of a joint temporary final rule to make available an additional 35,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2022. These visas will be set aside for U.S. employers…

On March 29, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a trio of efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall legal immigration system. USCIS will set new agency-wide backlog reduction goals, expand premium processing to additional form types, and work to improve timely access to employment authorization documents. Due to the COVID-19…

On March 24, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are issuing a rule to improve and expedite processing of asylum claims made by noncitizens subject to expedited removal, ensuring that those who are eligible for asylum are granted relief quickly, and those who are not are promptly removed. The…

In accordance to 8 U.S.C. § 1367 (“Section 1367“) where treatment of information received from prohibited sources and required certifications when certain enforcement actions are taken at specified locations, ICE issued Directive 10036.2: implementation of Section 1367 Protections for Noncitizen Victims of Crime. The purpose is to protect the identification and disclosure of information. It…

The city of Los Angeles will increase its minimum wage from $15 to $16.04 starting July 1, 2022, due to rising consumer prices in Southern California. This year marks the first time the minimum wage has been raised based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage earners and Clerical Workers. The CEO must determine…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is preparing some domestic offices to reopen and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4, 2022. On March 18, USCIS temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is following the…

On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, which limits the use of mandatory employment arbitration agreements. Previously, under Federal Arbitration Act, employers could require employees to submit most claims against their employers to arbitration by using a valid arbitration agreement. Before signing…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reminds the public that USCIS offers immigration services that may help people affected by extreme situations, including the invasion of Ukraine. The following measures may be available on a case-by-case basis upon request: Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States.…