Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
The Biden-Harris Administration has taken steps to enhance the ability of U.S. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) businesses to hire qualified foreign students and graduates as exchange visitors. Interested STEM businesses could become Host Organizations for J-1 Visa Exchange Visitors.
In a statement released by the White House, STEM talent is identified as “critical…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has provided guidance on the additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for fiscal year 2023.
H-2B visas allow employers to bring workers to the United States to perform temporary nonagricultural seasonal work. The statute limits the total number of H-2B visas per year to 66,000. In recent…
For employers that hire foreign nationals, whether as local hires already in the country or as transferees from foreign affiliates, immigration processing delays have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies in the manufacturing sector have had to deal with unexpected unpredictability in project planning, as well as increased costs. Please see our full publication…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in conjunction with the Department of Labor (DOL) will be starting the fiscal year by making an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available. This is on top of the 66,000 normally available.
This move represents a change in strategy. Instead of waiting, the agencies announced the…
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program has gone through significant changes in 2022 due to the enactment of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act (RIA).
Created in 1990 to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors, the EB-5 Program provides a path to permanent residence (a “green card”) based…
As of October 1, 2022, Canada is ending all travel, testing, and border requirements and restrictions related to COVID-19. This includes vaccination, mandatory use of ArriveCAN, and any testing or quarantine and isolation requirements for those entering Canada by land, sea, or air. Even masking on board is no longer required, although still recommended.
Since…
In March 2022, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced it would be implementing measures to conduct gender-neutral screening by enhancing screening technology, reducing the number of pat-downs needed, streamlining identity validation, updating TSA PreCheck, expanding airline partnerships to enhance the overall travel experience, and improving communications with the traveling public.
So far, TSA has implemented…
Voters in Massachusetts may be asked whether to repeal state law granting standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants in November.
In February 2022, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses. The bill was then passed by the Massachusetts Senate and vetoed by…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is trying to approve as many employment-based green card applications as it can before the annual deadline of September 30, 2022 (the end of the fiscal year).
Primarily due to COVID-19 restrictions, approximately 140,000 family-based visa numbers went unused last fiscal year. As a result, these unused visa numbers…
Employers searching for skilled workers should not overlook the powerful but somewhat obscure immigration tool, the E visa. While use of this visa is dependent on certain treaty laws, qualifying organizations may employ the E visa to hire executives, managers or essential employees which can provide needed options for companies struggling to replace employees in…
