Immigration law is at the forefront of public dialogue these days. Womble Bond Dickinson’s Immigration Solutions team helps employers navigate high-stakes, constantly shifting immigration challenges to avoid potential problems and secure the talent they need to make their companies thrive. The following newsletter, drafted by Womble Bond Dickinson Immigration Solutions attorneys, covers some of the recent and most important developments in immigration law.

8/30/2022    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final rule codifying the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and includes the same basic requirements for eligibility as required under the Executive Order it replaces.  The rule is effective 10/31/22.

8/29/2022    USCIS announced it has received enough petitions to reach the additional 23,500 visas made available for the second half of the fiscal year (FY) 2022 through the H-2B supplemental cap temporary final rule that applied to returning workers only. USCIS is continuing to accept H-2B petitions for the additional 11,500 visas allotted in the FY 2022 for nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti, regardless of whether they are returning workers.  USCIS also announced that it has received 24,486 beneficiaries toward the 33,000 cap for the first half of FY2023, with 19,000 approved and 5,486 pending.

8/25/2022    U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that, for the Diversity Visa program for FY 2023, selectees only need to submit the DS-260 immigrant visa application form for themselves and any accompanying family members, and no other supporting documents, to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC).

8/23/2022    USCIS announced it has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for FY2023.

8/10/2022    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warns that there is a telephone scam targeting residents nationwide in an attempt to gain banking information from unsuspecting individuals. These calls are from scammers posing as U.S. Border Patrol agents and U.S. CBP officers.  

8/10/2022    U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) updated the COVID-19 vaccination requirements for Uniting for Ukraine Parolees. Effective immediately, all beneficiaries aged 6 months and older must have an attestation stating that they received COVID-19 vaccinations both before traveling to the U.S. and after arrival unless they are eligible for an exception.

8/8/2022    USCIS determined that for adjustment of applications for the month of September 2022, all family-sponsored preference categories must use the “Dates for Filing” chart in the September 2022 visa bulletin, and all employment-based preference categories must use the “Final Action Dates” chart.

8/8/2022    DOS published the visa bulletin for September 2022.  

8/3/2022    The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced it has been notified of phone calls that spoof the Arlington Immigration Court as part of a misinformation campaign. The callers will often “spoof,” or fake, the immigration court’s main line, 703-305-1300, so the calls appear to be coming from EOIR  

8/1/2022    DHS issued notice that the TPS designation for Syria is extended for 18 months, from October 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024.  

8/1/2022    DHS announced that it is suspending certain regulatory requirements for Syrian nationals who are in F-1 student status to permit them to apply for work authorization upon a showing of severe economic hardship as a direct result of the civil war in Syria since March 2011.