According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Spring 2019 Regulatory Agenda, changes to business immigration are on the way, particularly with regard to H-1B visas. It is unclear, however, when these rules will actually come to fruition.
Continue Reading H-1B, H-4, Fees on Latest Regulatory Agenda from DHS
Sean G. Hanagan
Social Security Administration ‘No Match’ Letters to Employers Make Another Comeback
Social Security Administration (SSA) has begun notifying employers that the information reported on an individual employee’s W-2 form does not match the SSA’s records with “Request for Employer Information” letters, known as “No-Match” letters.
SSA started sending these controversial informational requests in 1993, but the practice has waxed and waned in part due to litigation.…
State Department to Release New Visa Restrictions on Students from China
New restrictions on visas for citizens of China are expected as soon as June 11, 2018, according to the Associated Press. These restrictions, the report states, would target students in high-tech fields such as robotics and aviation.
The changes would be part of the Trump Administration’s national security strategy to protect American’s intellectual property and…
Insights: Responding to Temporary Protected Status Extensions and Terminations
Having terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in May 2017 and having announced the limited extension of TPS for Haiti and Sudan until January and November 2018, respectively, the Trump Administration has turned its attention to Central America.
Approximately 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua are protected from…
DOL, USCIS Continue Focus on H-1B Visa Abuse
With his “Buy American, Hire American” Executive Order, President Donald Trump officially announced his intention to reform the H-1B visa program and the DOL and the USCIS are taking steps accordingly.
In April, the DOL announced it would be investigating violations of the H-1B visa program, “cautioning employers who petition for H-1B visas not…
State Department Confirms No Plan to Add Countries to Travel Ban under Executive Order
The Department of State has confirmed to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (“AILA”) that there is no immediate plan to add any other countries to the current list of seven under President Donald Trump’s “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” Executive Order signed on January 27, 2017.
In the chaos…
Two International Entrepreneurs Start under New York’s International Innovators Visa Program
Understanding the scarcity of H-1B visas, early in 2016, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), in partnership with the City University of New York (CUNY), launched the International Innovators Initiative (IN2NYC) to build a pathway to help international entrepreneurs grow companies and create jobs in the United States, specifically in New York City.…
Administration Welcomes Foreign Entrepreneurs with Proposed Rule
The Department of Homeland Security has closed out the summer with an encouraging proposal designed to allow certain founders of start-up companies from abroad to come to the U.S. for an initial stay of up to two years to build their business here. In a move recognizing the entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the many foreign…
Federal Court Judge Quashes Challenge to Revised Visa Bulletin Dates
A U.S. District Court in Seattle has ruled that the U.S. Department of State’s Visa Bulletin which governs how immigrant visas subject to numerical limitations are allocated, and indicates when intending immigrants may apply for the last stage of the permanent visa process is not a final agency action or decision and, therefore, cannot be…
DHS has until May 10, 2016, to Cure Defects in STEM OPT Rule, Court Decided
Recognizing the significant hardship a regulatory gap would cause current and future participants in the STEM OPT program, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has given the Department of Homeland Security an additional three months to issue a new rule to cure the defects in the STEM OPT rule extension that the…