The prospect of comprehensive immigration reform appears to be gaining momentum. In January, a bipartisan group of eight senators announced a broad proposal for immigration reform (“Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive...more
3/12/2013
/ Barack Obama ,
Border Security ,
E-Verify ,
Green Cards ,
H-1B ,
Immigration Reform ,
Permanent Residence Cards ,
Proposed Legislation ,
STEM ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Visas
On March 1, 2013, the Budget Control Act, including sections mandating across-the-board budget cuts to federal agencies (known as “sequestration”), went into effect. The sequester is likely to negatively impact immigration...more
In This Issue:
- Email Request Does Not Constitute "Complaint"
- Former NLRB Member Joins Ogletree Deakins
- For Employers, Pay-Or-play Proposals Could Be Worse, Much Worse
- The NLRB In 2013: More Controversy...more
On January 29, the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 (I-Squared Act) was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators, including Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Chris Coons (D-DE)....more
According to a final regulation, published on January 3, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has established a new process for certain individuals to apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers...more
President Obama mentioned comprehensive immigration reform as a priority in his acceptance speech. The President has pledged to act quickly on the issue of reform, with the expectation that “…we get [an immigration] bill...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, beginning February 1, 2013, the agency will collect a $165 Immigrant Visa Department of Homeland Security Domestic Processing Fee (USCIS Immigrant Fee)...more
In three separate decisions issued on August 20, 2012, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, applying the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Arizona v. United States, held that key provisions of state immigration laws passed...more
Under the terms of an agreement simplifying the U.S.-Russia bilateral visa program, American and Russian travelers for business or tourism are now eligible to receive three-year, multiple-entry visas authorizing stays for up...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has indicated that it will further expand its use of “integrity” measures in the permanent labor certification program. These measures include the conduct of audit investigations and...more
The application period for the Department of State’s (DOS) Diversity Visa (DV) (“green card”) lottery for Fiscal Year 2014 began on October 2, 2012. Interested persons have until 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time on November...more
In July 2012, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, agreed to lift his hold on the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) that was passed by the U.S. House of...more
The initiative to defer the deportation of eligible young persons without lawful immigration status was officially implemented on August 15, 2012, when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began accepting...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed significant changes to the Labor Condition Application (LCA), ETA Form 9035 and related forms for H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa petitions. The LCA, which is submitted online...more
On August 13, 2012, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9, the form that must be completed by all employers to verify the employment eligibility...more
In recent weeks, employers nationwide have been ordered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to submit their I-9 employment eligibility forms and other documents for inspection. In the last week of May, a new round of...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of June 11, 2012, it had received enough H-1B cap-subject petitions to reach the annual 65,000 “regular cap” limit. On June 7, 2012, USCIS also...more