Effective December 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) will require all H-1B professional workers and H-4 dependents to make their social-media profiles publicly viewable so consular officers can conduct an “online presence review.” This screening requirement, previously applied
On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a significant new policy memorandum PM-602-0192, titled “Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries.” The memorandum
Tennessee’s Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has moved decisively into the hemp space. Emergency rules adopted in September 2025 now require mandatory age verification and prohibit sales of Hemp-Derived Cannabinoid Products (HDCP’s) to anyone under 21. Beginning January 1, 2026, TABC
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On October 23, 2025, the Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”) released a Notice of Publication and Request for Comment regarding proposed Coordinated Blanket Order 51-933 Exemptions to Permit Semi-Annual Reporting for Certain Venture Issuers (the “Blanket Order”). A coordinated blanket order consists
In today’s competitive global talent environment, employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories remain essential tools for U.S. employers trying to attract, transfer, or retain high-skilled professionals. Recent trends show that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has adopted a significantly
It has been a busy year for the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) enforcement efforts against non-compete restrictive covenants in employment agreements. During President Biden’s administration in 2024, the FTC issued a rule banning non-compete provisions in employment agreements with certain
After half a decade of development and review, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)*/ will implement contracting regulations, effective November 10, 2025, making the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Program a reality for hundreds of thousands of companies across the
New guidance from the offices of the Canadian Privacy Commissioner and the Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta Privacy Commissioners (collectively, the “Offices”) has been published through the recently released decision in PIPEDA Findings # 2025-003 (the “Finding”) with respect to
In a Federal Register Notice published October 27, 2025 (“Notice”), the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a new pilot program called the “Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program” (hereinafter “Pilot Program”). This article considers (1) requirements to participate in
As of October 2025, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director John A. Squires has reclaimed authority to decide all patent review institution proceedings. This responsibility was previously delegated to judges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
