Critics say new federal restrictions on travel to Cuba may lead to a half million fewer visitors to the island annually and small, private business owners definitely will be hurt by confusion caused by those restrictions.
Continue Reading Travel Restrictions to Cuba Affects Cruise and Other Industries
Anna L. Susarina
H-1B Premium Process Resumes
Just as the end of the month-long government shutdown was announced, USCIS had its own announcement: it will resume premium processing on Monday, January 28, 2019, for all FY 2019 H-1B Cap petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption (the “master’s cap”).
Form I-907 requests for premium processing will be accepted for pending…
New Foreign-Student Work Restriction Has Outsourcing and Staffing Firm Suing
The Trump Administration is continuing its assault on outsourcing and staffing firms. The latest Administration focus is on the STEM OPT program.
In April 2018, without notice, USCIS made certain changes to its website. It declared, among other things, that a STEM OPT employer “may not assign, or otherwise delegate, its training responsibilities to…
USCIS Issues Guidance on DACA Program While Supreme Court Looks at Legality of Program Rescission
Post-shutdown, while Congress debates immigration and the future of the “Dreamers,” the litigation over the legality of President Donald Trump’s rescission of DACA is speeding up. The U.S. Supreme Court accepted the request for an expedited review of the Administration’s petition for certiorari and has set February 2, 2018, as the date when briefs must…
India-Based Infosys Plans to Hire Thousands of U.S. Workers for New U.S. Locations
Amid criticism of outsourcing firms, at least one large Indian outsourcing company is planning to hire 10,000 U.S. workers over the next two years. Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka announced the company will open four technology and innovation hubs in the U.S. “focusing on cutting-edge technology areas, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, user experience, emerging digital…
ICE’s Other Job: Recovering and Repatriating Cultural Property
ICE, primarily known for its immigration enforcement efforts and raids, does much more than that.
The Homeland Security Investigations Unit (HSI) of ICE has announced the repatriation of more than 400 Peruvian antiquities at a ceremony at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Some of the artifacts dated back to the 8th century A.D.…
Regulation Requiring Special Immigrant Religious Workers to Maintain Lawful Status is Invalid, Federal Court Holds
Carrying on religious work without work authorization does not present a bar to receiving a special immigrant visa, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Philadelphia, has concluded Shalom Pentecostal Church v. Acting Secretary U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al., No. 13-4434 (3d Cir. Apr. 7, 2015).
Carlos Alencar came…
President Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration under Attack in Federal Court
Not two weeks after the President announced his executive action on immigration, 17 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin, led by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, are challenging the executive action under the U.S. Constitution’s Take Care…
New York Legislature Considering State Citizenship to Undocumented Residents
A path to state citizenship for non-citizen New Yorkers, including undocumented residents, is under consideration by the New York legislature. “The New York Is Home Act” was introduced by State Senator Gustavo Rivera in the Senate (S7879) and Assembly Member Karim Camara in the Assembly (A10129).
If passed, the bill would grant state citizenship to…
I-9 Reverification Deadline for F-1s Changing to H-1B Status Is October 1
October 1 marks the beginning of the fiscal year 2014 and the date when approved new cap H-1B petitions become effective. Employers are reminded that October 1 is the last day to reverify Forms I-9 for employees who switched their status from F-1 (Academic Student) to H-1B (Person in Specialty Occupation) and who have been…