Many companies that have been working remotely during COVID-19 expect to continue to do so, at least to some extent after the pandemic. At first, it might seem that manufacturing would not be an industry where remote models...more
ICE announced that I-9 flexibility will be extended again – this time through the whole summer until August 31, 2021.
Since March 2020, companies that have been operating remotely have been able to inspect Section 2 Form...more
ICE has announced that I-9 flexibility will be continued for another 60 days, until May 31, 2021. Here is ICE’s full announcement.
With this extension, ICE specifically noted that employees hired on or after April 1,...more
Flexibility in completing I-9 Employment Verification Forms has been continued until March 31, 2021, and it may be extended beyond that. Under that flexibility, employers have been allowed to inspect Section 2 Form I-9...more
3/3/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
E-Verify ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Foreign Workers ,
Form I-9 ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Required Forms ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
USCIS
Once again, ICE has announced a further extension of flexibility in its rules related to I-9 compliance. The extension will continue through March 31, 2021.
This means that:
•Employers may continue to inspect Section...more
Along with extending its flexibility in allowing virtual Form I-9 employment verification until December 31, 2020, USCIS is also continuing its flexibility with regard to long-pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD)...more
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been flexible about how to complete Form I-9 employment verification due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing companies working remotely to inspect documents virtually (e.g.,...more
After months of speculation, the Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States” rule was finally released to the public. It...more
Premium processing fees are going up (the bad news), but premium processing will be available for more types of cases (the good news) according to changes included in the recently passed Continuing Resolution (CR) that will...more
Judge Jeffrey S. White has granted the plaintiffs’ request for preliminary injunction preventing the continued enforcement of the Presidential Proclamation suspending the entry of certain individuals in H, L, and J status...more
The “Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program” rule has been submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review and could be published by the end of the year – or earlier....more
In April and June, numerous Presidential Proclamations suspended entry of thousands of legal immigrants and nonimmigrants least until December 31, 2020, using the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason. This is despite the fact that...more
9/4/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
Immigration ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
Popular ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas
The USCIS is in the process of entering a Consent Order to produce, on a specific schedule, Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cards for those 75,000 foreign nationals who have approved employment authorization...more
Assuming there is no further stalling or litigation by the government, Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) may finally be on their way to approximately 75,000 foreign nationals who have been waiting for them, in some...more
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended its flexibility regarding the physical presence requirements for I-9 inspection for another 30 days, until August 19, due to the ongoing precautions related to the...more
The White House has issued an amendment to the June 22, 2020, Presidential “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak” to clarify an issue regarding...more
The day before his previous Proclamation on immigrant visa was to expire, President Donald Trump signed the “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus...more
6/24/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
PERM ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration ,
Visas ,
Work Visas
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) once again is extending its flexibility regarding the physical presence requirements for I-9 inspection for another 30 days until July 19, 2020, due to the ongoing precautions related...more
Federal law does not preempt a state’s ability to bring criminal prosecutions against individuals for providing false or fraudulent information in connection with their employment, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided. Kansas...more
Processing delays for immigration cases have increased by 46 percent in the past two fiscal years and 91 percent since FY 2014.
Businesses complain that they cannot obtain H-1B visas for key employees. Congress is looking...more
The long-promised new Form I-9 is now available for use and downloading from the USCIS website. Although it became available for use starting January 31, 2020, there is a grace period. Employers have up to 90 days (until May...more
It is time to start preparing for the upcoming H-1B visa lottery, which begins April 1, 2020, and will be the first one to require an electronic registration for each case.
To be eligible to file a cap-subject H-1B...more
2/3/2020
/ Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Highly-Skilled Workers Visa ,
Immigrants ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Lottery ,
OPT ,
STEM ,
USCIS ,
Visa Caps ,
Visas
Beginning in October 2020, employers in the construction industry in Pennsylvania will be required to use E-Verify, the federal government’s web-based program that allows employers to verify an employee’s work-authorization...more
Employers have paid about $7 billion in H-1B fees over the past 10 years. Now, a new fee is coming – the electronic registration fee.
Electronic pre-registration for the H-1B lottery is set to begin for the 2020 cap...more
Six hundred and eighty workers from seven poultry processing plants across Mississippi were arrested by ICE in what was the largest workplace raid in a decade. Raids of this size require complex logistics and months of...more