Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
International companies rely on L visas to transfer managers, executives, and specialized knowledge employees to the United States. But the Department of State is changing the standards it uses to adjudicate those visas, making transfers more difficult.
L-1 visas are available to a company with a parent/subsidiary, affiliate, or branch office overseas that wishes to…
On November 21, 2019, the new EB-5 Investor Visa Program rules went into effect. That was also the day that the government could have shut down if a spending bill or another continuing resolution had not been approved. It could also have been the day that the EB-5 Regional Center Program would end. But, Congress…
The Department of State (DOS) has announced a significant retrogression from the July 2019 Visa Bulletin to the August 2019 Visa Bulletin of at least 3 years in many of the employment-based categories.
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Because some of the 9/11 terrorists used fraudulent driver’s licenses to travel, Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005 to comply with the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the federal government establish minimum standards for the issuance of forms of identification, such as state driver’s licenses. After many starts, stops, and delays, the deadline…
Chinese authorities have been using “exit bans” to prevent U.S. citizens from leaving China. In response, the U.S. State Department is continuing its Level 2 travelers’ warning to “exercise increased caution.” The advisory was originally issued in 2018 due to “arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals.”
“China…
While the hope was that the temporary suspension of premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions would end on September 11, 2018, USCIS announced on August 28, 2018, that the suspension will continue and be expanded to include other H-1B petitions.
As of September 11, 2018, the suspension will apply to the following H-1B petitions:
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The Department of Justice filed suit in March challenging California’s so-called sanctuary laws. DOJ asserts that the state laws are preempted by federal law and requests injunctions to halt their enforcement.
On June 20, 2018, during a hearing on the injunction request, the parties were questioned by U.S. District Court Judge John Mendez, a George…
If you haven’t visited our California Workplace Law Blog, please see this recent post which touches on limitations on practices for verifying employment eligibility, as well as related protections for workers. It is co-authored by one of our immigration attorneys, Brian Schield.
California seems to be at odds with the Trump Administration over many subjects, including the legalization of marijuana, the expansion of off-shore drilling, the elimination of state and local tax deductions, and immigration.
The most recent clash over immigration began with the passage in October of “The California Values Act” (CVA) (SB54) and the Immigrant…
On October 5, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed 11 bills essentially making California a sanctuary state. The California Values Act (SB 54) aims to protect undocumented immigrants living in California. Brown stated that “this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are…
