Insight, News, and Strategy on Immigration Matters Around the World
Undocumented students are waiting for University of California (UC) leadership to issue a plan that would remove hiring restrictions for all UC students, regardless of immigration status.
The proposed plan, titled Opportunity For All (O4All), is supported by language in the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) that the prohibition of employment of undocumented…
The U.S. Supreme Court has finally put an end to the litigation that has dogged STEM OPT for years. On October 2, 2023, the Court refused to hear the technology workers’ union’s challenge to the Obama-era program that allows graduates in STEM fields to work in the United States for up to three years.
The…
In the latest decision in the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) saga, Judge Andrew Hanen in the Southern District of Texas has found that the new DACA Final Rule issued by the Biden Administration was unlawful. In addition, he expanded the original July 16, 2021, injunction and order of vacatur to cover the…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its Policy Manual (PM) to provide guidance to USCIS officers on evaluating eligibility criteria for the EB-1A (extraordinary ability) and EB-1B (outstanding professor or researcher) employment-based immigrant visa classifications.
The EB-1 immigrant visa classifications are important methods for employers to sponsor outstanding talent in the United States…
USCIS has been issuing challenges and even denials to some H-1B petitions based upon allegations of suspected lottery fraud. USCIS appears to be taking the position that fraud occurs when multiple registrations are submitted on behalf of the same individual.
Of course, it is possible for more than one company to file a valid…
As part of the Biden Administration’s initiative to retain high-skilled foreign nationals in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is adding eight new fields as qualifying fields of study for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) Optional Practical Training (OPT).
STEM OPT is a 24-month extension of Optional Practical Training…
Texas did not have standing to challenge the Biden Administration’s policy priorities regarding removal of noncitizens, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. United States v. Texas, No. 22-58 (June 23, 2023).
In February 2021, recognizing that, of the more than 11 million removable noncitizens in the United States, the majority have become contributing…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may require employers to file amended H-1B visa petitions when relocating employees to new locations and did not fail to follow or otherwise circumvent rulemaking requirements in doing so, the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia has ruled. ITServe Alliance Inc. v. DHS, No. 22-5074 (June…
On June 13, 2023, the Department of Homeland (DHS) announced that it would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months for current beneficiaries from El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal and Nicaragua.
Soon-to-be-published Federal Register notices will explain the eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures necessary for current beneficiaries to re-register for TPS. Indications are that individuals…
An alliance of U.S. technical workers has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to find the OPT and STEM OPT programs invalid.
Since 2014, WashTech has been challenging the validity of OPT and STEM OPT through litigation. The alliance’s major concern is the allegation that the programs harm U.S. workers. Questions about the validity of these…
