Update on USCIS Efforts to comply with “Buy American and Hire American” On April 4, 2018, the Director of USCIS, Lee Francis Cissna, penned a letter to Chairman Grassley to update him on USCIS’ efforts to comply with the April 2017 Executive Order, “Buy American, Hire American.” The contents of the letter are broken into … Continue Reading
USCIS has announced that it received 190,098 H-1B petitions during the filing period for FY2019, which began on April 2, 2018, including petitions filed for the advanced degree exemption. This year’s number of petitions is lower than the 199,000 H-1B petitions filed in FY2018. Per the regulations, on April 11, USCIS conducted its random lottery … Continue Reading
USCIS announced today, April 6, 2018, that the FY 2019 H-1B cap is now closed because it has received a sufficient number of H‐1B petitions to reach the 65,000 statutory cap as well as the 20,000 advanced degree exemption. The announcement did not provide details about the total number of H-1B petitions filed. USCIS will … Continue Reading
Ten shareholders from global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP have been selected to be members of Law360’s 2018 Editorial Advisory Boards. The 10 attorneys span 11 practices and eight offices, including Ian R. Macdonald for the Immigration Editorial Advisory Board. To read the full list, click here.… Continue Reading
From April 30, 2018, to Oct. 31, 2018, the USCIS California Service Center (CSC) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Blaine, Washington, port of entry (POE) will implement a joint agency pilot program for Canadian citizens seeking L-1 nonimmigrant status under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This pilot is … Continue Reading
The Department of State (DOS) has noticed for public comment an Information Collection Review – Electronic Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration that would require immigrants coming to the United States to submit five years of social media history. This effort is viewed by many as a component of “enhanced vetting” on behalf of the … Continue Reading
On March 23, 2018, USCIS significantly changed its interpretation of the H-1B rules by issuing a policy memorandum adopting the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) decision Matter of S- Inc. The issue addressed in Matter of S- Inc. is the meaning of the term “related entities” in cases where multiple employers file cap-subject H-1B petitions for … Continue Reading
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) announced a temporary suspension of premium processing for 2019 Fiscal Year H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those cases seeking exemption on the basis of the beneficiary having obtained a U.S. masters or higher degree. It is expected that the temporary suspension will last until Sept. 10, 2018. The reason for … Continue Reading
On March 14, USCIS released an Inspector General’s report on Green Card Processing Times. The report found that green card processing times exceeded the existing 120-day goal by taking an average of 282 days to complete. The report identified processing times are greatly affected by interviews and vetting occurring at USCIS. The report made two … Continue Reading
The Business Immigration & Compliance Practice of Greenberg Traurig, LLP is pleased to announce that Courtney B. Noce has been elevated to shareholder in the Atlanta office. Noce focuses her practice on U.S. business immigration, compliance, and enforcement actions, as well as global immigration. She represents both large multinational companies and small startups on the … Continue Reading
GT hosted a Washington, D.C. reception of the National Immigration Forum (NIF) on “What Drives The Immigration Debate: A Conversation.” Welcoming remarks were made by Eddie Aldrete, Senior Vice President, IBC Bank, and Board Chair of the National Immigration Forum that recognized Laura Reiff, immediate past Chairman of the NIF, for her former and continued … Continue Reading
On Feb. 16, 2018, USCIS published the final policy memorandum on signature requirements, which changed its existing rules for signatures on written requests filed with USCIS. Effective March 18, 2018, all paper filings with the USCIS must include a handwritten ink signature and USCIS will no longer accept signatures of individuals based on power of … Continue Reading
On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Department of Justice’s petition for writ of certiorari in a Ninth Circuit DACA Case. The Court took the unusual step of encouraging the federal court to act stating “It is assumed the Court of Appeals will proceed expeditiously to decide the case.” This action means that … Continue Reading
In support of its efforts to combat H-1B fraud and consistent with President Trump’s Buy American Hire American initiative, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will now require employers sponsoring H-1B workers at third-party worksites to include additional information and documentation in their H-1B filings. The new policy memorandum “Contracts and Itineraries Requirements for … Continue Reading
Rising to the president’s challenge of addressing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) participants in the United States and maintaining a commitment to debate DACA/immigration in exchange for cooperation on last week’s Budget Agreement, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY, Majority Leader) began an immigration week debate in the U.S. Senate. The process unfolded slowly and reached a … Continue Reading
Shaun K. Staller, an attorney in the Immigration & Compliance group at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, was recently elected to Equality Forum’s Board of Directors. A non-profit organization, Equality Forum is focused on the advancement of national and international lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights with an educational emphasis. To read more, click … Continue Reading
A business coalition and many of its members continues to work for passage of a permanent bipartisan legislation solution for Dreamers living, working, and contributing to our economy. https://www.coalitionfortheamericandream.us/. More than 100 CEOs of businesses from across the industry spectrum and across the United States are represented in this effort.… Continue Reading
On Jan. 25, Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) introduced S. 2344, the Immigration Innovation Act of 2018, or I-Squared. I-Squared has been long-championed by Senator Hatch and the reintroduction of it this Congress includes “updates for this Congress.” Per Senator Hatch-… 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
On Monday evening, President Trump signed the Continuing Resolution (CR) into law ending the three-day, 69-hour government shutdown. In addition to funding the government and other policy-related matters, the CR extends EB-5, E-Verify, Conrad 30, and the Religious Workers immigration programs until Feb. 8.… Continue Reading
On Jan. 10, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President, Tom Donohue, delivered the widely-anticipated State of American Business address in Washington D.C. Much of his remarks focused on policies and opportunities for continuing economic growth in the United States under the social media hashtag of #Jobs2018. Mr. Donohue applauded the regulatory reforms and tax reforms of … Continue Reading
Last night, House Appropriations Chairman, Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), filed a Continuing Resolution to extend government funding and to provide extension of authorities for programs, such as EB-5, on the House Appropriations website. The Continuing Resolution, or CR, would extend government operations and the EB-5 program through Feb. 16.… 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
Greenberg Traurig Laura Reiff, Co-Chair Business Immigration and Compliance, was recently quoted in the Bloomberg Law article, “Immigration Attorneys on Their toes in the Age of Trump.” The article discusses the developments in immigration in 2017 and how attorneys are handling the new environment. Reiff expresses the need to be more proactive as immigration attorneys … Continue Reading
