The Department of State has issued a travel advisory for the Middle East and parts of Northern Africa after receiving warnings of potential al Qaeda attacks. U.S. Embassies in these areas will close from August 3rd until further notice. U.S. intelligence indicated potential attacks against American and Western targets in the final days of Ramadan.
Maggie Murphy
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U.S. Department of State Issues Guidance on Visa Issuance for Same-Sex Married Couples
By Maggie Murphy on
Posted in Introduction
In a meeting with Embassy staff at the U.S. Embassy in London, Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the Department of State would treat same-sex married couples as equal to other married couples. Kerry stated:
If you are the spouse of a U.S. citizen, your visa application will be treated equally. If you
…
Employers Must Document Multiple Worksites for Off-Site or ‘Roving’ H-1B Employees
By Maggie Murphy on
Posted in Introduction
Employers who place workers at multiple worksites, whether theirs or someone else’s, must include the assignment’s details to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Citizenship & Immigration Service (CIS) on H-1B petitions. As the nation’s workforce embraces alternative work modes (e.g., remote workers, roving employees, and virtual office workers), foreign nationals who are so…
DOL Announces New, Searchable Registry of LCA and PERM Applications for Review
By Maggie Murphy on
Posted in US Immigration
The Department of Labor (DOL) is launching an online registry to publish data from certified PERM and Labor Condition Applications filed via its online iCERT system. The registry, expected to launch July 1, will include information about cases certified as far back as April 2009. New cases will be available as early as two business…
Employers Responsible For Wages For Non-Productive Employment Attributable To Social Security Card Requirement
By Maggie Murphy & Jackson Lewis P.C. on
Posted in US Immigration
The DOL Administrative Review Board has decided that employers are responsible for paying wages to H-1B foreign nationals who—but for a delay in the Social Security Account enumeration and card issuance process—would be actively employed. The same rule likely will be applied to other nonimmigrant workers who experience delays in Social Security number processing.
The…
CIS Requests Feedback on Policy of Notifying Petitioners/Applicants (Rather than Their Attorneys)
By Maggie Murphy on
Posted in US Immigration, USCIS
Apologizing for inadequate outreach on its new protocol, the Citizenship & Immigration Service (CIS) has requested feedback on its “surprise” policy – implemented September 12 – to send original approval notices to Petitioners and Applicants directly, rather than the attorneys of record. Attorneys of record with properly filed Forms G-28 now receive unofficial “Courtesy Copy”…