As several cities are allowing businesses to resume their operations to pre-pandemic levels, many employees are being called back to on-site work. Thankfully, schools have been welcoming children for in-person learning for several months now, and parents are hoping to send them to summer camps. Approximately 26 million American children attend summer camps in a
Trump Administration
DHS Discontinues Collection of Fines from Noncitizens Failing to Depart the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security will no longer be collecting civil financial penalties for noncitizens who fail to depart from the United States. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that “[t]here is no indication that these penalties promoted compliance” and that the penalties were “ineffective and unnecessary punitive measures.”
The fines for undocumented workers who failed to…
Proclamation on Suspending Visas for Immigrants Without Health Insurance Revoked
The Trump-era proclamation that would have kept immigrants who could not provide evidence of health insurance within 30 days of coming to the United States has been revoked by President Joe Biden. The move is in accordance with his prior executive order directed at “restoring faith” in the immigration system and to emphasize his…
Prevailing Wage Rule for High-Skilled Foreign Workers Effective November 2022
The effective date of the “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Immigration and Non-Immigrants in the United States” (Prevailing Wage Rule) related to H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 work visa cases, as well as for PERM cases, is delayed to November 14, 2022. The Biden Administration states that it continues…
Relaunch of Program to Attract International Entrepreneurs
The Biden administration is breathing life into the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER). It has announced that the IER will be launched anew, because it will “strengthen and grow our nation’s economy through increased capital spending, innovation, and job creation.”
Although there were stops and starts, the IER was never actually eliminated by the Trump administration.…
Dreamers Bills Under Congressional Consideration
President Joe Biden’s American Citizenship Act of 2021, introduced in Congress in February, would provide large-scale immigration reform. But it will be difficult to pass such a comprehensive bill.
The last time comprehensive immigration reform made it through Congress was in 1986, during the Reagan Administration (although another, smaller bill passed in 1990, during the…
USCIS Announces Return to Deference Policy
Deference is back! USCIS announced that, effective immediately, it will reinstate its 2004 policy of deferring to prior determinations of eligibility.
Rescinded by the Trump administration, this policy directed officers to “generally defer to prior determinations of eligibility when adjudicating petition extensions involving the same parties and facts as the initial petition.” This means that…
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Argument on Status Adjustment for Temporary Protected Status Recipients
The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral argument on whether individuals who initially entered the United States without permission and subsequently were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are eligible to adjust to lawful-permanent-resident status without leaving the United States. Sanchez v. Mayorkas, No. 20-315. If the individuals must leave the United States, they can…
Temporary Suspension of Entry Ends for Certain H, L, J Visa Categories
The restrictions on the issuance of H-1B, L-1, and J-1 nonimmigrant “guest-worker” visas, which have been in place since June 24, 2020, expired without fanfare on March 31, 2021. As a result, U.S. consulates around the world will resume issuing H-1B, L-1, and J-1 visas without the need for an additional national interest exception…
Legislation Update: House Passes Bills on Dreamers, Farm Workers
On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed a memorandum fortifying the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. His administration also has granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to more individuals: those from Venezuela and Burma. Building on this, President Biden also proposed broad legislative immigration reform, including a path to citizenship for…