Updates & Events

Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced on June 1, 2021, that he has terminated the Migration Protection Protocols program.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced an extension until August 31, 2021, of the flexibilities in rules related to Form I-9 compliance that were initially granted last year due to precautions related to COVID-19.

Due to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated its visitor policy.

ACE and a group of higher education associations sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to take immediate action to allow international students to return to their campuses and institutions in the fall semester.

The Departments of Homeland Security and Labor published a joint temporary final rule making available an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural guest worker visas for fiscal year 2021 “to employers who are likely to suffer irreparable harm without these additional workers.”

The Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule, effective May 19, 2021, that removes an interim final rule issued in October 2020 and later vacated by a federal district court, “Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program.”

USCIS announced that DHS is withdrawing a 2018 proposed rule that would have removed the International Entrepreneur parole program from DHS regulations.

Effective May 17, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will temporarily suspend the biometrics submission requirement for certain applicants filing Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, requesting an extension of stay in or change of status to H-4, L-2, and E nonimmigrant status.

USCIS announced on May 11, 2021, that applicants, petitioners, requestors and beneficiaries may now call to reschedule their biometric services appointments scheduled at a USCIS Application Support Center.

The Department of Labor has delayed a final rule on prevailing wage computations from May 14, 2021, until November 14, 2022.