On April 26, 2018, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced, after reviewing country conditions and consulting with various U.S. government agencies, that the grounds for Nepal’s TPS designation on the basis of an environmental disaster are no longer met and as such, termination of the designation is required by statute. As a result, … Continue Reading
Travelers continue to experience heightened scrutiny at U.S. Ports of Entry. Whether the travel is for business or pleasure, travelers often carry an electronic device such as a cell phone or laptop. The current administration’s focus on border security has made travelers increasingly concerned about how to protect personal and corporate data contained on electronic devices.… Continue Reading
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced a three-prong approach to ensuring U.S. employers are hiring legally authorized workers. ICE’s strategy focuses on: Compliance, through increased I-9 inspections, civil fines and referrals for debarment from immigration benefit programs like Labor Condition Applications and PERM Labor Certifications; Enforcement, through arrests of not only of workers employed … Continue Reading
Law360 recently published an article by Rebecca B. Schechter and Courtney B. Noce titled, “The New Normal For Business Immigration in 2018.” The article discusses the year ahead and what employers can expect in terms of immigration. Schechter and Noce provide insights on “Buy American, Hire American” (BAHA), including increased scrutiny and stricter requirements. Additionally, the … Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security announced the cessation of Temporary Protected Status of citizens from El Salvador. This decision follows recent TPS decisions for Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Today’s decision will impact more than 200,000 Salvadorans in the United States for more than 15 – 20 years. DHS has announced a transition period through Sept. 9, 2019. … Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) automatically extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Honduras for six months through a notice published in the Federal Register. This was an automatic extension given that DHS did not make a decision on Honduras’ designation that was set to expire. Current beneficiaries of TPS under Honduras’ designation … Continue Reading
President Trump signed a new Executive Order (EO) on Tuesday, the same day as the last travel ban’s provision against refugee admissions was due to expire. The EO allows refugees to travel into the U.S. and the Department of Homeland Security to process refugee applications. The Trump Administration had previously blocked refugee travel through an … Continue Reading
On Oct. 8, 2017, the White House released the promised Immigration Principles & Policies (Principles & Policies) which outline the Trump Administration’s position on immigration. This document is broken into three parts: 1) Border Security, 2) Interior Enforcement, and 3) Merit-Based Immigration. A summary of each part is broken down below.… Continue Reading
On Sept. 27, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made a motion requesting the abeyance of the court’s decision in Save Jobs USA v. United States Department of Homeland Security, commonly referred to as “the H-4 EAD lawsuit,” until Dec. 31, 2017. The motion requests the delay to allow DHS time to evaluate the H-4 … Continue Reading
On Sept. 24, 2017, President Trump issued a Proclamation imposing new limitations on visa issuance and travel to the United States for nationals of eight countries entitled “Presidential Proclamation Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats.” These countries include: Chad, Iran, Libya, North … Continue Reading
On Sept. 1, 2017, the U.S Department of State (DOS) updated the Field Adjudicators Manual (FAM) at 9 FAM 302.9-4(B)(3). The Field Adjudicators Manual (FAM) serves to guide consular officers in their adjudications process, and this particular section provides guidance regarding “misrepresentation” by applicants “at the time of visa application or to DHS when applying … Continue Reading
On Sept. 5, 2017, Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump Administration will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA is a mode of temporary relief given to children (now college-aged or older) who entered the United States without inspection with their parents and allowed them to apply for temporary work … Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security announced on Aug. 28, 2017, that beginning on Oct. 1, USCIS will begin requiring in-person interviews at local District Offices for adjustment of status applications based on employment, as well as certain refugee/asylee relative petitions. In the past, USCIS did not require an in-person interview adjustment of status applications based … Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and The Department of Labor (DOL) have submitted a final rule to the Federal Register, which will be published on July 18, 2017, increasing the number of H-2B visas by 15,000. DHS Secretary John Kelly determined, along with DOL Secretary Alexander Acosta, that there are not enough qualified and … Continue Reading
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released FAQs for those affected by the recently reinstated travel ban. Earlier last week, the Department of State released their own set of FAQs regarding implementation of the travel ban during visa processing. DHS will be responsible for admitting persons entering the United States and the FAQs on its … Continue Reading
On Wednesday, June 28, 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will implement enhanced security measures for all international commercial flights coming to the United States. Approximately 325,000 passengers per day, traveling on 2,100 flights per day from 280 airports are expected to be affected by these new screenings. DHS has … Continue Reading
On Monday, June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States partially revived part of President Trump’s second Executive Order (EO-2) mandating a temporary travel ban from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, which will be in effect on June 29, 2017. EO-2 also sought to suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and limit the … Continue Reading
The Nov. 20, 2014 DAPA memorandum, which to date has not been implemented, directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “to establish a process, similar to DACA, for exercising prosecutorial discretion through the use of deferred action, on a case-by-case basis” to certain undocumented parents who have “a son or daughter who is a U.S. … Continue Reading
Greenberg Traurig’s Nataliya Rymer, of counsel, and Jordi Bayer, associate, recently authored a New Jersey Law Journal (NJLJ) article, “Guidance for Employers in Age of Increased Immigration Enforcement,” which discusses the uptick in immigration enforcement activity by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This uptick includes worksite visits, which are in line with the stated policy of increased enforcement by the … Continue Reading
Beginning Feb. 16, 2016, USCIS began reissuing receipt notices on Form I-797 to applicants who continue to have pending applications for renewed employment authorization (EAD applications) under certain categories that were originally filed between July 21, 2016 and Jan. 16, 2017. EAD applications that were filed during this window did not fall within the benefits of … Continue Reading
John Kelly, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued two memoranda on Feb. 20, 2017 outlining the Department’s plans for immigration enforcement under President Trump’s administration: “Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest” and “Implementing the President’s Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements Policies.” Both memoranda implement and provide further … Continue Reading
On Jan. 25, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed two Executive Orders impacting U.S. immigration which are summarized below. Executive Order: Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements This Order addresses the recent surge of immigration by foreign nationals without proper documentation at the United States’ southern border with Mexico. The Order directs the government’s “executive … Continue Reading
USCIS has established a new standard for adjudicating national interest waiver petitions by naming the Administration Appeals Office’s (AAO) Dec.27, 2016 decision, Matter of Dhanasar, 26 I&N Dec. 884 (AAO 2016), a precedent decision. This decision vacates Matter of New York State Dep’t of Transp., 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Acting Assoc. Comm’r 1998), which established … Continue Reading
On Jan. 17, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published its final rule to implement discretionary parole authority to increase, promote, and encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, and job creation in the United States. This final rule will add new regulatory provisions that will allow DHS to grant parole in certain circumstances and by discretion to … Continue Reading
