Legal Updates

USCIS and DOL have released the joint temporary rule implementing the process for employers who have a certified ETA 9142B with an employment start date in the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2022 to apply for the 35,000 additional H-2B visa numbers which will be released on May 18, 2022.

On April 29, 2022, Gov. Tim Walz signed Frontline Worker Payments into law, enabling certain Minnesotans who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 emergency to apply for bonus pay. While details of the program, including the online application process and timeline, are still being finalized, below we offer a summary of the salient points of the bill.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a temporary final rule that increases to up to 540 days the automatic extension period for work authorization and Employment Authorization Documents available to certain EAD renewal applicants.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced changes to case processing information available online.

To reduce wait times, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is urging travelers who require a Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, to apply and prepay online before arriving at a U.S. land border.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced an extension of Form I-9 flexibilities until October 31, 2022.

The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification announced that the Foreign Labor Application Gateway is implementing technical changes to H-2B filing for the Form ETA-9142B submission process.

The Department of Homeland Security posted Federal Register notices on temporary protected status for Sudan and Ukraine.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue to require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals at the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request.

Several measures related to foreign students were announced.