Seyfarth Synopsis: On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order that sets a new course for the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Interestingly, this order is not just about technology- it brings with it a host of implications, including a significant move marking a new direction in immigration policy, especially for U.S. employers. To accomplish the Executive Order’s stated goal of ensuring that America “leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks” of AI, the order seeks to pave the way to attrac ..read more

By: Rachel V. See, Annette Tyman, and Joseph R. Vele Seyfarth synopsis: President Biden’s Executive Order on artificial intelligence sets forth his vision for America to continue leading in AI innovation while also addressing risks associated with the use of AI. While much of the document delves into cutting-edge safety issues with national security implications, there are many provisions in the EO that have broad ramifications for companies generally, and employers specifically. The Order mandates greater coordination by civil-rights agencies on AI issues, emphasizes work ..read more

By: Jake Campbell, Weija (Victoria) Ma, and Jason Burritt Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration: 1. Government Shutdown Avoided – For Now On September 30, 2023, Congress passed a stopgap bill to keep the government running for another 45 days. For more information on potential impacts if the government were to shutdown, please see our legal alert–Potential Government Shutdown: Immigration Consequences for Employers and their Foreign Employees—here. 2. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Exempts the Form I-539, Application to Ex ..read more

By: Weijia (Victoria) Ma, Jake Campbell, Michelle Gergerian Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration: 1. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Launched Online Appointment Request Form On August 21, USCIS launched a new online form for individuals to request in-person appointments at their local field offices. Instead of calling the USCIS Contact Center, individuals can use the online appointment request form to request an in-person appointment at a field office for ADIT stamps, Emergency Advance Parole, and more. However, it is ..read more

By: Dawn Lurie, Matthew Parker* and Amber Stokes* On May 4, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the official sunset date for COVID-19 related Form I-9 physical inspection flexibilities: July 31, 2023. Additionally, ICE advised that employers would have 30 days, or until August 30, 2023, to complete an in-person verification of all employees that were virtually verified since March 2020. Yesterday’s announcement put an end to the speculation of whether the remote policy would run past July, and whether employers woul ..read more

By: Mary Honeychurch, Steven Brouillard, Weijia (Victoria) Ma, and Jake Campbell Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration: 1.  USCIS Releases FY2024 H-1B Initial Registration Period Updates On April 28, USCIS announced that it received 780,884 registrations for the FY2024 H-1B initial registration, resulting in an approximate 14% chance of selection, a significantly lower selection rate than in previous years. Cap Fiscal Year Total Registrations Eligible Registrations* Eligible Registrations for Beneficiaries with No Other Eligible Regi ..read more

By:  Rania Abboud, Nelli Shevchenko, and Gabriele Vennewald Please note: while we address some country-specific updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this Alert contains information regarding global restrictions and closures as they stand today. Given the constantly changing nature of this situation, we highly recommend reviewing any global mobility inquiries on a case-by-case basis, including any consulate-specific or immigration authority resources, in “real-time” before traveling internationally. Please reach out to our Global Mobility Team in advance of any international tra ..read more

By: Jake Campbell and Weijia (Victoria) Ma Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration: 1. FY2024 H-1B Cap Registration On March 27, 2023, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that initial registration was complete and that all prospective petitioners with selected registrations selected in the lottery were notified.  Petitioners must file H-1B cap-subject petitions for selected registrations before June 30, 2023. 2. USCIS Issued Guidance on Mobile Biometrics Collection Services On March 7, 2023, USCIS issued policy gui ..read more

By: Nelli Shevchenko The U.K. Home Office has updated the Employer’s Guidance on Right to Work Checks on 28 February 2023. The guidance contains important information about obligations and compliance processes for UK right to work applications made by UK-based employers. Changes include clarifications on eVisa and BRPs checks, use of ID Service Providers, and clarifications of documents for certain status holders (students). eVisa and pending applications New changes are also introduced to enable some individuals with outstanding, in-time applications (for permission to stay in th ..read more

By: Victoria Ma Seyfarth Synopsis: In its continued efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall immigration system, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the expansion of premium processing for certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 students seeking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT extensions.  As of March 6, 2023, F-1 applicants who have an already-filed and pending Form I-765 Application (Employment Authorization Document or EAD) under the following categories and wish to request a pr ..read more