U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminded employers this week that Guam’s and CNMI’s five-year H-1B and H-2B cap exemptions will end on December 31, 2014. With a sharp increase in U.S. military-related projects in Guam of late, employers in the country are experiencing a shortage of lesser-skilled and highly-skilled workers, from construction workers through to accountants and engineers. Although officials in Guam are lobbying hard for an extension of the exemption, so far all efforts have been in vain as the Congressional deadlock on all immigration-related bills is halting a range of business immigration initiatives, including the renewal of Guam’s exemption. The major concern for those lobbying for an extension of the exemption is that there will be no action on any immigration-related reform until after the November mid-term elections, and there is no guarantee that Congress will act to extend the exemptions during the few days it is in session after the November election.
Continue Reading Guam and CNMI Employers Beware: H-1B and H-2B Exemptions End Dec. 31