The Biden administration withdrew a proposed rule to rescind the H-4 employment authorization document (EAD) program from review by the Office of Management and Budget. This means that about 100,000 H-4 EAD holders (spouses of H-1B workers who are mostly women from...
Topic: Immigration Updates
TPS for Syria Extended, Redesignated
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of temporary protected status (TPS) for Syrians. This enables more than 6,700 eligible Syrian nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Syria) to...
President Biden Issues Executive Order Revoking Trump “Buy American and Hire American” Executive Order
On January 25, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order, "Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers." The order states that the federal government should "maximize the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and...
President Biden Names Jean King as New Acting Director of EOIR
According to reports, effective January 31, 2021, Jean King is the new Acting Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). She is a former general counsel for EOIR and most recently served as EOIR's chief administrative law judge. Ms. King replaces...
USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 28, 2021, that it is extending the flexibilities it initially announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors responding to certain agency requests. Included are...
Judge Rules STEM OPT Program Lawful
On January 28, 2021, a U.S. district court judge issued a summary judgment order finding that the STEM OPT (Optional Practical Training for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students) program is a valid exercise of authority under the Immigration and...
February Visa Bulletin Announces Green Card Projections for the Coming Months
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for February 2021 included the following information on final action date projections (potential monthly movement) for employment-based green card categories through May. The bulletin notes that determination of the actual...
OFLC To Reissue Certain Prevailing Wage Determinations
On January 20, 2021, a U.S. district court issued a modified order governing the manner and schedule in which the Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) will reissue certain prevailing wage determinations (PWDs) that were issued from...
Judge May Extend Hold on Deportation Moratorium Until February 23
Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas, who recently blocked for 14 days the Biden administration's 100-day pause on deportations in response to a lawsuit led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said he is likely to extend the block until February 23,...
USCIS To Abide by Previous Filing Fee Amounts Under Preliminary Injunction
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will continue to abide by previous filing fee amounts because of preliminary injunctions in ILRC v. Wolf and Nw. Immigrant Rts. Project v. USCIS. USCIS said it is complying with the terms of these orders and "is not...
