Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Premium processing will resume in stages according to USCIS. Cap-subject H-1B petitions will be included only in the last phase.
June 1, 2020: USCIS will accept requests for premium processing for all eligible Form I-140 Immigrant Visa Petitions. EB1-C Multi-National Manager or Executive and EB2 National Interest Waiver petitions are not eligible for premium…
A bi-partisan group has introduced a new bill in both the House and the Senate that would make additional immigrant visas (green cards) available to doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HWRA) would ease the long wait lines for green cards that make the U.S. a less attractive alternative to other countries that…
USCIS has announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has suffered a steep decrease in revenue and, without assistance, might run out of funding this summer. The agency has asked Congress for $1.2 billion in emergency relief (as a loan) along with a 10% COVID-19 surcharge (to repay the loan) on top of a…
As businesses begin to reopen after shutdowns to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers should anticipate heightened scrutiny by USCIS, ICE, and the Departments of Labor and Justice regarding wage and hour and immigration requirements.
The current surge in worksite enforcement is expected to result in as many as 10,000 I-9 audits…
Just before midnight on April 23, 2020, President Donald Trump’s “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Immigrants Who Present Risk to the U.S. Labor Market During the Economic Recovery Following the COVID-19 Outbreak” went into effect. The proclamation’s purpose was to temporarily suspend the entry of new immigrants (green card holders) into the United States for…
Some registrants and their attorneys are complaining that some H-1B registrations submitted under the new, electronic process were denied as duplicates were not duplicates at all.
When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced H-1B Cap electronic registration, there were concerns that some employers might abuse the system. DHS decided to impose a small registration…
COVID-19 has created a multitude of unprecedented challenges for visa applicants, employers, and the government employees that process visa petitions and applications.
Employers face daily challenges balancing long-term strategies to maintain a complete workforce with short-term strategies to manage payroll and cash flow. While the government has issued certain temporary solutions to provide flexibility with…
Between March 1 and March 20, 2020, 275,000 individuals were entered into USCIS’ new electronic pre-registration system to obtain an H-1B for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. This is a nearly 25% increase over last year’s filings.
While it is hard to judge what led to the apparent increase in demand, the change may be a…
Due to COVID-19, USCIS announced that as of March 20, 2020, it is immediately suspending premium processing service for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions until further notice. USCIS also said that petitioners that have already filed a form requesting premium processing will receive refunds if their cases are not acted on within the 15…
As employers respond to workplace issues pertaining to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), it is important not to forget about foreign nationals working pursuant to temporary non-immigrant visas. Employers must avoid discriminatory policies and remember that there are additional rules and regulations that apply to employees on visas.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
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