DOL implemented a revised ETA Form 9035/9035E Labor Condition Application (LCA) on November 19, 2018. DOL will continue to process the prior version of the LCA filed before November 19, 2018, and prior versions of the ETA 9035 that are certified by DOL can continue to be used for H-1B purposes. iCERT has been updated with the revised form.

The Department of State (DOS) Exchange Visitor Program has published a revised (Version 2.0 October 2018) Guide for Responsible Officers and Alternate Responsible Officers. The prior version of the Guide was dated October 2007.

SEVP announced that SEVIS Release 6.41, scheduled to be implemented on October 26, 2018, will change how SEVIS calculates days of unemployment while a student is on standard or STEM post-completion OPT. The unemployment counter on the student's Employment Information page in SEVIS will also be updated. The current counter displays only consecutive days of unemployment. The new counter will display the aggregate count.

On August 10, 2018, the Department of State (DOS) issued Guidance Directive 2018-01 - College and University Student Category: Avoiding Unskilled Placements in Academic Training and Student Internship Programs. The directive communicates DOS perspectives based on "the Department's category review of the College and University Student category of the Exchange Visitor Program."

In a September 28, 2108 news alert, USCIS reminded F-1 students who had received "cap-gap" extensions of their OPT that their cap-gap employment authorization ends on September 30, 2018. The USCIS reminder included a warning that working beyond that date, unless supported by some other type of work authorization, constitutes a status violation that could trigger the accrual of unlawful presence.