Immigration Settlement Clears the Way for Thousands of H-1B and L-1 Spouses to Work in the US
In the recent legal settlement of Edakunni v. Mayorkas, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has agreed to resume adjudicating H-4 and L-2 dependent and H-4 employment authorization petitions at the same time...more
In an excellent development, as of January 25, 2023, the U.S. government agreed to resume the process of “bundling” H-4 and L-2 dependent applications, – including I-765 work permission applications, with the H-1B and L-1...more
As previously reported, pursuant to a policy announced on November 12, 2022, USCIS will consider E and L nonimmigrant dependent spouses to be employment authorized incidental to their status. On January 30, 2022, USCIS and...more
Immigration Settlement Clears the way for thousands of H-1B and L-1 spouses to work in the U.S., Ulmer Immigration Group Leader David Leopold explains....more
US President Donald Trump has extended the entry ban on H-1B, H-2B, L-1, and specific J-1 statuses as well as certain immigrant entries through March 31, 2021. The original proclamations were set to expire on December 31,...more
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing - USCIS has announced here that beginning the month of June 2020, it will again start accepting certain petitions for premium processing. Premium processing was indefinitely suspended as...more
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York on October 11 enjoined and halted enforcement of the new public charge rule that was due to become effective October 15, 2019. The court not only enjoined the US...more
On November 29, 2018, U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS) announced the publication of a policy memorandum dated November 15, 2018 that clarified the L-1 one-year foreign employment requirement. The memorandum...more
Historically, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has been the primary auditor of companies using H-2B visa to hire temporary, seasonal workers. But amid debates over the cap on H-2B visas and an expressed...more
Vacation season is just around the corner. Whether you are a visa holder, tourist or U.S. permanent resident, organizing your travel documents is a critical part of international travel. Discovering an expired document too...more
On April 18, President Trump signed an Executive Order labeled the “Buy American and Hire American” initiative. Federal agencies are already subject to certain laws and regulations which require or give preference to American...more
From time to time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) conducts site visits at the offices of employers petitioning for temporary work visas on behalf of their employees. These visits are funded by the $500 “anti-fraud”...more
This article covers proposed legislation, sub-regulatory changes, and—from a practical standpoint—the process/timing for implementing changes under the new administration. Please note that while legislative immigration...more
Effective yesterday, January 17, 2017, a new USCIS rule seeks to improve multiple employment-based temporary nonimmigrant and immigrant visa (“green card”) programs. The new regulations are designed to help U.S. employers...more
Descrição geral - Esta série foi projetada para elaborar um mapa com diferentes estratégias para imigração aos EUA. Na Parte I desta série, explorei o uso do visto L1-A como um método rápido e barato para obter a entrada...more
The recently issued U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) final policy memorandum on L-1B visas clarifies the requirements for a sponsoring multinational organization transferring international personnel to the...more
Many of Julie Ferguson’s immigration law clients are entrepreneurs seeking to launch startups in the United States. They come from all over the world, but Ms. Ferguson, who practices in Miami, sees especially high numbers...more
USCIS has announced that it received nearly 233,000 H-1B applications during the first week of April, nearly three times the available quota. This means that nearly two-thirds of all applications submitted to the agency will...more
On June 27, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released its 2014 Ombudsman Annual Report. The Ombudsman Annual Report confirms what employers and immigration attorneys have been experiencing for the past...more
USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) Directorate is expected to begin full-scale implementation of an L-1 site inspection program in the near future. FDNS conducts unannounced administrative site visits...more
In the August/September 2013 issue of the Immigration eAuthority, we reported on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) plans to have its Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) unit conduct...more
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) created and implemented the Administrative Site Visit and Verification Program (ASVVP) in July 2009, under which it conducts unannounced site inspections at the...more
Since the creation of the L visa category in 1970, the L-1 statutory provisions have been modified several times. In recent years, L-1 cases have been subject to heightened scrutiny both by the U.S. Citizenship and...more
The L visa allows qualifying multinational companies with a parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate abroad to transfer managers and executives (L-1A) and employees with “specialized knowledge” (L-1B) to work in the United...more