With the shortage of U.S. workers in many STEM fields, H-1B workers are an increasingly vital part of the U.S. workforce. This webinar will address the requirements, processing times and validity periods for H-1B status as...more
While the peak of the COVID pandemic may be behind us, the United States health care industry continues to deal with unprecedented staffing shortages, particularly when it comes to nurses. Even a cursory Google search brings...more
Facing a severe nursing shortage, one option for the United States is immigration.
But even though the federal government has given registered nurses a special designation which streamlines the employment-based permanent...more
In a recent post, this blog covered the more-complicated-than-it-seems issue of how someone can best determine exactly when their lawful immigration status in the United States expires. We discussed the matter of how, in some...more
While that question may seem simple enough to answer, in many instances individuals may be mistaken or unaware of when their lawful immigration status in the United States expires. A common answer might be, “When my Visa...more
In a long-awaited effort to address delays and backlogs that have arisen due to consular closures and limited staffing over the last year-and-a-half, on December 23, 2021, the U.S. Department of State announced that it is...more
At a time when health care is critical, physician shortages and other challenges continue to beset the United States. Vacancies and shortages in health care staffing are causing glaring deficiencies in meeting patient needs –...more
At a time when health care is critical, physician shortages and other challenges continue to beset the United States. Vacancies and shortages in health care staffing are causing glaring deficiencies in meeting patient needs...more
12/20/2021
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
H-1B ,
Healthcare ,
Immigrants ,
J-1 Visas ,
Labor Certifications ,
NAFTA ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
PERM ,
Physician National Interest Waiver (PNIW) ,
Visas
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was withdrawing a 2018 proposal to remove the International Entrepreneur (IE) Parole program from DHS regulations, effectively confirming to the public that...more
6/9/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
E-2 ,
H-1B ,
International Entrepreneur Rule ,
Investment Adviser ,
L-1 Visas ,
O-1 Aliens of Extraordinary Ability ,
Proposed Regulation ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On Friday, March 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it may reopen and/or reconsider the denial of previously filed H-1B visa petitions, in cases where the denial was based on one or more...more
On December 1, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a decision overturning two recent Interim Final Rules promulgated by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of...more
12/3/2020
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Specialty Occupations ,
Summary Judgment ,
USCIS ,
Visas
On Oct. 8, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor published a new regulation that significantly raises the required prevailing wage which must be paid to foreign workers in connection with H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 nonimmigrant visa...more
Beginning October 2, 2020, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will be increasing its filing fees for many of the most commonly filed benefit requests. Applications or petitions postmarked on or after that date...more
U.S. immigration law recently has resembled a minefield, with potential risks and obstacles popping up nearly every week. Both employers and employees have been struggling to navigate these new rules and find ways to obtain...more
On Monday, June 22, 2020, President Donald Trump signed a “Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak.” The Proclamation imposes significant...more
6/23/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Foreign Workers ,
H-1B ,
H-2B ,
H-4 ,
Immigration ,
Immigration Procedures ,
J-1 Visas ,
L-1 Visas ,
L-2 Visas ,
Presidential Proclamations ,
Trump Administration
It’s strikingly apparent that the current global pandemic of COVID-19 is impacting travel and visa/immigration processes worldwide. As of right now, all USCIS processing centers for visa petitions remain open and...more
With the increasing reliance of U.S. employers on high-skilled foreign workers, particularly those on H-1B visas, it is important that employers remain aware of the makeup of their workforce and the additional obligations...more
As another H-1B cap season comes and goes, tens of thousands of hopeful employers and employees will again be informed that their H-1B visa petitions were not among the 85,000 selected in USCIS’s random lottery for processing...more
The denial rate for H-1B petitions spiked through the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 to over five times what the rate was just four years ago. That’s according to a report published by the National Foundation for American...more