U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the expansion of mandatory in-person interviewing of applicants for lawful permanent residence. In its public announcement, USCIS notes that this change complies...more
9/5/2017
/ Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 ,
Parole ,
Refugees ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Traveling Employee ,
Visas
On March 6, 2017, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO) entitled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” which was to take effect today, March 16, 2017. The new EO explicitly...more
3/17/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
International Travel ,
Refugees ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
TRO ,
Trump Administration ,
Vetting ,
Visa Interview Waiver Program (VIWP) ,
Visas
USCIS has announced that it will temporarily suspend Premium Processing for all H-1B petitions, beginning April 3, 2017. The suspension will apply to all H-1B petitions, including new H-1B cases filed under the FY18 H-1B cap,...more
3/9/2017
/ Driver's Licenses ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Lottery ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has affirmed the district court’s decision to enjoin the federal government from enforcing key portions of President Trump’s Executive Order, “Protecting the Nation from...more
2/10/2017
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Injunctions ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
On Friday, February 3, 2017, a Federal District Court judge issued a nationwide suspension of President Trump’s Executive Order, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” For more...more
2/7/2017
/ Appeals ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Green Cards ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
Libya ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Yemen
President Trump’s Executive Order (“Order”) of January 27, 2017, “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,” could have a significant impact on the American immigration system. Employers...more
2/2/2017
/ B-1 ,
B-2 ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Dual Citizenship ,
ESTA ,
Executive Orders ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
I-485 Applications ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Iran ,
Iraq ,
L-1 Visas ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
Libya ,
OPT ,
Refugees ,
Somalia ,
STEM ,
Sudan ,
Syria ,
TN-Visas ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
US Department of State ,
USCIS ,
Visas ,
Yemen
We are releasing this Alert to remind employers of the fast-approaching April 1, 2017, opening date for filing H-1B work visa petitions on behalf of foreign employees who need sponsorship for work authorization in the U.S....more
1/23/2017
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
E-1 ,
E-2 ,
E-3 ,
F-1 Visa ,
Filing Requirements ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-4 Spouses ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1A ,
L-1B ,
L-2 Visas ,
Lottery ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Effective yesterday, January 17, 2017, a new USCIS rule seeks to improve multiple employment-based temporary nonimmigrant and immigrant visa (“green card”) programs. The new regulations are designed to help U.S. employers...more
1/18/2017
/ ACWIA ,
E-3 ,
Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Form I-140 Petitions ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
H-1B1 ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
I-485 Applications ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
TN-Visas ,
USCIS ,
Visas
USCIS has released a new version of the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. Employers should now start using the new 11/14/2016 version, which will become mandatory on January 22, 2017. Until then, employers may...more
The Department of Justice has issued a new rule increasing penalties for I-9 paperwork violations, unlawfully employing unauthorized workers, and unfair immigration-related employment practices. The increase was triggered by...more
8/4/2016
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Bipartisan Budget Act ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Form I-9 ,
Fraud ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) ,
Inflation Adjustments ,
New Hires ,
Penalties ,
Policy Violations ,
USCIS
We are releasing this Alert to remind employers of the fast approaching April 1, 2016, deadline for filing H-1B work visa petitions on behalf of foreign employees who need sponsorship for long-term work authorization in the...more
We are releasing this Alert to remind employers of the fast approaching April 1, 2016 deadline for filing H-1B work visa petitions on behalf of foreign employees who need sponsorship for long-term work authorization in the...more
On July 21, 2015, USCIS issued Final Guidance for agency adjudicators regarding applying the precedent decision, Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC. As we previously reported, Matter of Simeio radically reinterpreted the...more
7/28/2015
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Compliance ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Relocations ,
FDNS ,
Filing Requirements ,
H-1B ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Information Technology ,
LCA ,
Temporary Employees ,
USCIS ,
Work Visas
On June 23, 2015, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) updated its alert regarding the technical problems that resulted in world-wide delays in visa processing, announcing that 39 consular posts, representing more than...more
On June 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it is experiencing technical problems with its visa system, which have resulted in delays in printing visas and may require rescheduling some visa...more
USCIS recently published Guidance purporting to rely on Matter of Simeio Solutions, addressing when employers must file an amended H-1B petition on behalf of H-1B workers who are transferred to a new work location not listed...more
On April 9, 2015, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) issued a precedent decision affirming the California Service Center (CSC) Director's revocation of an H-1B...more
In a historic move, effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") will allow, for the first time, H-4 spouses of H-1B workers who are pursuing permanent residence ("green cards") to apply for work...more
On January 20, 2015, Judge Ellen Thomas, a federal administrative law judge (ALJ) with the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO), a division of the Executive Office of Immigration Review within the U.S....more
This Alert is a reminder to employers of the fast approaching April 1, 2015 deadline for filing H-1B work visa petitions on behalf of foreign employees who need sponsorship for long-term work authorization in the U.S. ...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has just released a final decision and order rendered this past July by the Administrative Review Board (ARB), holding that an H-1B worker's front pay claim against a former employer is cut...more
1/6/2015
/ Administrative Hearings ,
Administrative Review Board ,
Barclays ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Former Employee ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lehman Brothers ,
Successor Liability ,
Wage and Hour
On December 5, 2014, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued an opinion vacating the Department of Labor (DOL) regulation and related guidance memorandum authorizing DOL, at the request of the...more
On November 20, 2014, President Barack Obama unveiled expansive executive actions on immigration, which will grant work authorization to millions of undocumented workers. In addition, the executive actions seek to boost the...more
11/25/2014
/ Barack Obama ,
DACA ,
DAPA ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Deportation ,
Executive Orders ,
Green Cards ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
STEM ,
USCIS
The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has published updated information regarding the performance issues with the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD). As discussed in our July 24, 2014 Alert, a computer glitch caused the CCD to...more
A State Department spokesperson has stated that technological glitches in the Consular Consolidated Database have caused the system to crash, resulting in significant delays in the processing of visas and passports for...more