U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the initial registration period for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 H-1B cap will open at noon ET on March 1, 2023, and run through noon ET on March 17, 2023. Prospective H-1B cap-subject petitioners or their...
Topic: Fiscal Year 2023
USCIS Increases H-2B Nonimmigrant Visa Availability
In a temporary final rule published on December 15, 2022, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, has increased the total number of noncitizens who may receive an H-2B nonimmigrant visa by up to 64,716 for fiscal year (FY)...
President Releases Refugee Admissions Numbers for FY 2023
President Biden issued a determination that up to 125,000 refugee admissions for fiscal year (FY) 2023 "is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest." Regional allocations include Africa (40,000), East Asia (15,000), Europe and...
USCIS Director, CIS Ombudsman Hold ‘Fireside Chat’
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou and Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman Phyllis Coven held a "fireside chat" on September 21, 2022. They discussed challenges and accomplishments from fiscal year (FY) 2022 and...
USCIS Reaches H-2B Cap for First Half of FY 2023
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on September 14, 2022, that it has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap on H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers for the first half of fiscal year (FY) 2023....
USCIS Releases FY 2023 Employment-Based Adjustment of Status FAQs
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released updated fiscal year (FY) 2023 frequently asked questions on employment-based (EB) adjustment of status. The introduction to the FAQs notes that the EB annual limit for FY 2023 will be higher than was typical...
Visa Bulletin for October Includes Several Retrogressions, Other Updates
The Department of State's (DOS) Visa Bulletin for October 2022, the first month of the new fiscal year, includes several updates: Scheduled expiration of employment fourth preference (SR) Religious Workers category. Unless Congress extends this category, no SR visas...
DV-2023 Selectees Only Need to Submit Application Form to Kentucky Consular Center, Not Supporting Docs, DOS Says
The Department of State (DOS) announced on August 25, 2022, that for the Diversity Visa (DV) program for fiscal year 2023 (DV-2023), selectees only need to submit to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) the DS-260 immigrant visa application form for themselves and any...
