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Legislative Updates

  • Bicameral Bills Introduced: The Citizenship for Essential Workers Act has been introduced in both the House and Senate by lawmakers including Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Joaquin Castro. The bill aims to create a pathway to citizenship for over five million essential workers and their families who helped keep Americans safe, fed, and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Florida Immigration Bill – Florida passed a sweeping new immigration bill that, among other things, mandates the use of E-Verify beginning July 1, 2023 for all private employers of more than 25 employees. See GT Alert.
  • Afghan Humanitarian Parole – The Biden administration will permit tens of thousands of Afghans brought to the United States after the Taliban takeover to renew their work permits and humanitarian parole for two more years.

USCIS Publishes FAQs on Parole Programs for Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans

  • The FAQs clarify that supporters must hold lawful status in the United States; therefore, individuals with pending TPS or asylum applications are not eligible to be supporters.
  • Businesses and organizations may serve as supporters.
  • Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans who are permanent residents or dual nationals of any other country or hold refugee status in any other country are not eligible to be sponsored via this process.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for International Travelers to U.S. Ending May 11

  • The White House announcement explained that the vaccination requirement is ending the same day that the COVID-19 public emergency ends. Beginning May 12, 2023, international travelers to the U.S. no longer need to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. See GT Alert.
  • Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security said that beginning May 12, 2023, it will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

USCIS Plans to Improve H-1B Electronic Registration Process with Upcoming ‘H-1B Modernization Rule’

  • In announcing the registration numbers for the fiscal year 2024 process, USCIS said it was investigating fraud in the FY 2023 and 2024 H-1B electronic registration processes.
  • USCIS reported 780,884 total registrations this year, which is a significant increase from last year’s 483,927 total registrations. This year, 110,791 registrations were selected. See blog post.
  • The agency confirmed its commitment to the H-1B program, citing its value to the immigration system and economy, and said it was “working on an upcoming H-1B modernization rule that will propose, among other improvements, bolstering the H-1B registration process to reduce the possibility of misuse and fraud in the H-1B registration system.”
Tags: Immigration Policy Briefs
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Photo of Laura Foote Reiff ‡ Laura Foote Reiff ‡

Laura Foote Reiff has more than 32 years of experience representing businesses and organizations in the business immigration and compliance field. She is also a business immigration advocate and has long chaired prominent business immigration coalitions. Laura is Co-Founder of GT’s Business and

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Laura Foote Reiff has more than 32 years of experience representing businesses and organizations in the business immigration and compliance field. She is also a business immigration advocate and has long chaired prominent business immigration coalitions. Laura is Co-Founder of GT’s Business and Immigration and Compliance Group which she co-led since 1999. She currently chairs the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. Immigration and Compliance Practice. Laura is also Co-Managing Shareholder of the Northern Virginia Office of GT, a position she has held since 2010. As a global leader in the business immigration community, Laura has served on the Boards of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Council, the National Immigration Forum and is currently the Chair of the America is Better Board.

Laura advises corporations on a variety of compliance-related issues, particularly related to Form I-9 eligibility employment verification matters. Laura has been involved in audits and internal investigations and has successfully minimized monetary exposure as well as civil and criminal liabilities on behalf of her clients. She develops immigration compliance strategies and programs for both small and large companies. Laura performs I-9, H-1B and H-2B compliance inspections during routine internal reviews, while performing due diligence (in the context of a merger, acquisition or sale) or while defending a company against a government investigation.

Laura represents many businesses in creating, managing and using “Regional Centers” that can create indirect jobs toward the 10 new U.S. jobs whose creation can give rise to EB-5 permanent residence for investment. She coordinates this work with attorneys practicing in securities law compliance, with economists identifying “targeted employment areas” and projecting indirect job creation, and with licensed securities brokers coordinating offerings. She also represents individual investors in obtaining conditional permanent residence and in removing conditions from permanent residence.

Laura’s practice also consists of managing business immigration matters and providing immigration counsel to address the visa and work authorization needs of U.S. and global personnel including professionals, managers and executives, treaty investors/ traders, essential workers, persons of extraordinary ability, corporate trainees, and students. She is an immigration policy advocacy expert and works on immigration reform policies.

‡ Admitted in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Not admitted in Virginia. Practice limited to federal immigration practice.

Read more about Laura Foote Reiff ‡
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Photo of Rebecca B. Schechter ‡ Rebecca B. Schechter ‡

Rebecca Schechter focuses her practice on business immigration and compliance, representing multi-national corporations midsized companies, and startups, as well as individual clients. She has experience with all areas of employment-based immigration, particularly H-1B, L-1, O-1 and E-2 petitions, as well as outstanding researcher…

Rebecca Schechter focuses her practice on business immigration and compliance, representing multi-national corporations midsized companies, and startups, as well as individual clients. She has experience with all areas of employment-based immigration, particularly H-1B, L-1, O-1 and E-2 petitions, as well as outstanding researcher petitions and labor certification applications. Rebecca regularly assists GT clients with global immigration matters, including business and work visas to countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. She also works on state and federal I-9 and E-Verify audits. Rebecca has a thorough understanding of third party contractor issues and experience handling complex naturalization, deportation defense, family and employment-based adjustment applications.

‡ Admitted in Maryland and Connecticut. Not admitted in Virginia. Practice limited to federal immigration practice.
Read more about Rebecca B. Schechter ‡
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