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Effective January 18, 2009, U.S. permanent residents returning to the U.S. from abroad will be subject to the US "VISIT" (Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) Program.  US-VISIT, which requires the fingerprinting of certain applicants for entry to the U.S., will now apply to all permanent residents entering

On January 8, 2009, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) announced that the H-2B cap of 66,000 visas for FY2009 had been reached.  H-2B visas allow employers who have a need for peak-load, seasonal, or intermittent workers to temporarily increase their workforce through a visa sponsorship process.  H-2B visas are also available for employers who need a temporary increase in employees due to a one-time occurrence that requires a short-term increase in workers.  Some of the major industries that use H-2B visas include construction, landscaping, hospitality, food service, and manufacturing.

On December 12, 2008, US CIS announced that it had submitted to the Federal Register an interim final rule that is intended to streamline the employment eligibility verification (I-9) process.  Under this rule, fewer documents are acceptable for establishing identity and expired documents are no longer acceptable.  These changes are intended to enhance the security of the employment verification process.  The new form must be used effective February 2, 2009.

As background, the I-9 form must be completed by all employers, agricultural recruiters and referrers for a fee.  The form is used to establish the identity and employment authorization of new hires through a single document contained on List A or a combination of documents from List B and List C.  Specifically, the rule eliminates older versions of the Temporary Resident and Employment Authorization Cards (Forms I-688, I-688A, and I-688B) under List A (documents that establish both identity and employment authorization), but adds foreign passports that contain machine-readable immigrant visas and documentation for certain citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.  The rule also changes the employee attestation section and eliminates the use of all expired documents.

The interim final rule and an informational copy of the revised Form I-9 will be available for public comment at www.regulations.gov for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register.  The new form is available for use by the public at www.uscis.gov.  Employers who fail to use the new form after that date may be subject to civil penalties.

Effective January 12, 2009, anyone planning to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), a program that allows people from certain designated countries to travel to the U.S. for business or pleasure for up to 90 days without first obtaining a visa from a U.S. Consulate, must first obtain travel authorization through a new online system called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).  As of January 12, 2009, travelers from VWP countries must either have a valid clearance from ESTA or have a valid visa in order to board a plane or ship for travel to the U.S.