U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that effective October 1, it will increase the premium processing fee charge for I-129 nonimmigrant worker petitions and I-140 immigrant petitions. Premium processing fees will increase to $1410.00 per petition. This is close to a 15 percent increase in the filing fee, which was last raised in 2010. Here's what the change means for employers.

On August 28, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the temporary suspension of premium processing (expedited processing) for H-1B cap petitions. This process has permitted a U.S. petitioner to secure fast-track processing of H-1B filings for a fee of $1410.00, effective on October 1, 2018. This is the first time USCIS has increased the fee since 2010. USCIS will adjudicate premium processing requests within 15 calendar days. The suspension, which was expected to terminate on September 10, will now likely last until February 19, 2019. Many of the H-1B cap visa applicants are foreign students in F-1 status. This new USCIS policy signals that foreign students will no longer be permitted to be eligible to work in the United States as of October 1, 2018.

As reported in our recent client alert, Employer Action Required: New Posting Requirements in NYC for Anti-Sexual Harassment Act, the New York Human Rights Law will require all New York employers to provide all employees with a sexual harassment policy by October 9, 2018. Under the New York Labor Law, such policy must also include a complaint form.