The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently announced a streamlined process for foreign workers to request deferred action. Deferred action is a type of prosecutorial discretion to defer removal action...more
2/5/2024
/ Cooperation ,
Deferred Action ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Employees ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Investigations ,
Labor Law Violations ,
USCIS
The state of Florida recently enacted legislation that will have a significant impact on employers across the state. Senate Bill 1718 (SB1718), which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on May 10, 2023, requires private...more
7/18/2023
/ E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Florida ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
New Legislation ,
USCIS
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the agency will undertake three efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens within the legal immigration system. ...more
Following months of crisis-level processing times for Form I-765 Applications for Employment Authorization on behalf of dependent spouses in L-21 and H-42 nonimmigrant visa status, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service...more
11/15/2021
/ Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-765 ,
H-4 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-2 Visas ,
Settlement Agreements ,
USCIS
Last week, President Biden’s comprehensive immigration reform proposal, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, was introduced in the House and Senate. As officials in the administration initially reported, the provisions for the...more
3/4/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
DACA ,
F-1 Visa ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-4 ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Path To Citizenship ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
STEM ,
Temporary Protected Status ,
Visas
On February 24, 2021 President Biden officially lifted restrictions on entry to the United States stemming from former President Trump’s Proclamation 10014 of April 22, 2020 (“Suspension of Entry of Immigrants Who Present a...more
3/3/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity Lottery ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Travel Ban ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will delay the effective date of a rule issued two weeks prior to the end of the Trump administration that seeks to change how H-1B “specialty occupation” visa applications are...more
2/8/2021
/ Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
USCIS ,
Visa Applications ,
Visas
Former President Trump’s administration made countless policy changes that have transformed the U.S. immigration landscape over the past four years. With President Biden now in office after running a presidential campaign...more
1/25/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DACA ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
L-1 Visas ,
Muslims ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Travel Ban ,
Visas
In a much-anticipated decision, on December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of business and university plaintiffs (led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce), setting aside...more
12/3/2020
/ Chamber of Commerce ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Foreign Workers ,
Good Cause ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Motion to Set Aside the Verdict ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
While the U.S. presidential election has come to an end, we continue to monitor changes in the Trump administration’s handling of ongoing agency immigration reforms through the end of 2020 and into early 2021 that may impact...more
11/24/2020
/ Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Popular ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) have released two new interim final rules affecting immigration. Both rules immediately impact skilled foreign workers in the H-1B specialty...more
On August 3, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices with the Interests of American Workers, directing federal agencies to contract with those who prioritize the...more
In late 2019, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would implement the registration process for the fiscal year 2021 H-1B cap. The H-1B visa is used by businesses that want to employ foreign...more
2/24/2020
/ Conditional Job Offers ,
Deadlines ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Job Applicants ,
OPT ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
On December 6, 2019, USCIS announced that it officially plans to implement the electronic H-1B registration process for petitioners seeking to submit H-1B cap-subject petitions for FY 2021....more
12/17/2019
/ Beneficiary Designations ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employee Mobility ,
Employer Identification Number (EIN) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Labor Condition Applications ,
Lottery ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Strategic Planning ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas ,
Work Permits
On August 7, 2019, more than 600 agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided several companies across Mississippi. With the help of the local district attorney’s office, these raids resulted in the...more
8/24/2019
/ Business Interruption ,
Deportation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Form I-9 ,
Government Investigations ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Raids ,
Risk Management ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants
In an announcement on Thursday, May 16, 2019, President Trump unveiled an outline of his new legislative plan to modernize the nation’s immigration framework, promising to “establish a new legal immigration system that...more
On April 25, 2019, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) issued a practice alert announcing that the nationwide immigration association had “been in discussions with CBP [Customs and Border Protection] related...more
5/8/2019
/ Canada ,
Employee Transfers ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
L-1 Visas ,
NAFTA ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Port of Entry ,
Renewal Options ,
USCIS ,
Visas
Earlier this month, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Memorandum providing guidance on Executive Order 13768, which called for enhancing public safety in the United States through...more
7/24/2018
/ Executive Orders ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Foreign Workers ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
National Security ,
Policy Memorandums ,
Terrorist Threats ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On July 4, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice obtained a partial victory in its challenge of California’s Immigrant Worker Protection Act ("Assembly Bill 450" or "AB 450") and other sanctuary laws when a California federal...more
7/16/2018
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Deportation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Immigrant Protection Laws ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Motion To Enjoin ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
State and Local Government ,
Supremacy Clause ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Worker Protection Standard ,
Workplace Investigations
On June 26, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the travel ban implemented by the Trump Administration in September 2017. This travel ban was the third permutation after two other travel bans failed to...more
6/28/2018
/ Appeals ,
Establishment Clause ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Immigration and Nationality Act ,
Immigration Reform ,
Likelihood of Success ,
Muslims ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Presidential Decrees ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Trump v Hawaii
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s former acting Director, Thomas Homan, indicated last fall that he wanted to quadruple worksite enforcement, and ICE is on track to do so. ICE recently announced it performed 3,510...more
5/21/2018
/ Business Interruption ,
Deportation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Raids ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have partnered to establish a framework to efficiently manage and maintain information sharing to better detect and eliminate fraud, abuse,...more
5/17/2018
/ Buy American Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Domestic Hiring Policy ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Foreign Workers ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
USCIS ,
Visas
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently made subtle changes to its eligibility definitions for companies seeking to employ STEM OPT F-1 visa holders. The subtle changes have major implications...more
As it signaled in late 2017, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s investigative arm) began 2018 with an increased emphasis on targeting employers and unauthorized employees...more
1/11/2018
/ Deportation ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Raids ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants
Increased immigration enforcement and a reduction in illegal entry into the United States remain among the Trump administration's highest priorities. Notably, Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan has reportedly ordered Homeland...more
11/9/2017
/ Audits ,
Business Interruption ,
Deportation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Immigration Reform ,
Raids ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants