In November 2018, USCIS issued an updated policy memorandum clarifying the terms of visa eligibility for L-1 visa designates who may have worked abroad for a qualifying entity overseas and, in the interim, held a different nonimmigrant status in the United States. The USCIS policy memo clears up confusing, inconsistent and conflicting language in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) regarding the L-1 visa, which is reserved for executives, managers and specialized knowledge personnel transferred to the United States from overseas affiliated offices.

Intellectual Property co-chair Amy Goldsmith authored a Lawline blog post, “IPoems, Patent Law Edition.” The blog post contains poems written by Amy that are designed to break down complex terms of patent law to make them easier to digest. Amy states, “If a picture is worth a thousand words, an informative limerick might be worth an entire law review article.” She goes on to share her original poems on patent law and gives correlating explanations for each.

On December 3, 2018, USCIS proposed a rule removing the current requirement for U.S. employers to file cap-subject H-1B petitions commencing April 1 each year. USCIS plans to introduce a new online registration system, which would become effective in 2019 and would require that employers file an online registration form at least two weeks in advance of the April 1 traditional filing date.