The time audit your I-9 practices is now.
OK, we’ll let you finish your summer vacation. But right after that, you really need to dig into the I-9 rules and make sure that your company is in compliance....more
News travels fast, so you may have already heard that the waiting line for the EB2 (advance degree professional) category for India jumped from September 1, 2004, in July to January 1, 2008, for August....more
The waiting line for immigration of family members and those sponsored by their employers moves according to determinations made by the Department of State (DOS) each month....more
In a past blog, we discussed practical steps to take when you find that an employee has been using a false ID and wants to “fix it”. That blog assumed that the company wants to continue the employment and was focused on the...more
The Senate voted to close debate on the bi-partisan immigration reform proposal by a wide margin, 67 voting in favor. While there is no guarantee that a Senator that voted to close debate will vote for the bill (or vice...more
A message from our friend Jeremy Robbins Director of the Partnership for a New American Economy is below. The Partnership held one of its first events in Iowa with the Iowa Immigration Education Coalition. It is a bipartisan...more
OK, here we go. After months of “behind the scenes” work, the immigration reform bill hits prime time in the Senate.
The American Immigration Lawyers has issued an overview of the process in a “what to expect”...more
The front page of the Monday, June 3, 2013, Wall Street Journal featured the headline, “Risk-Averse Culture Infects U.S. Workers, Entrepreneurs.” The story explores the question of whether our collective fear of risk is...more
Another recent I-9 case shows how the preference for small employers works in the OCAHO (Office of Chief Administrative Hearing Officer) context*.
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In a recent decision*, OCAHO (Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer) rejected the argument that ICE has too much discretion in determining what is a “technical” violation (which can be corrected with no fine) and...more
Last night the Senate Judiciary Committee voted (bipartisan 13-5) to pass Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act for vote on the Senate floor. A vote is expected in early June....more
On April 5, 2013, USCIS announced that it had received more than the allotted 65,000 “regular” and 20,000 US master’s degree applications for H-1B status. ...more
Last week the Associated Press (AP) changed its style manual so that the term “Illegal” is to be used to describe an action or procedure, but not a person. No more “illegal immigrant” in AP stories....more
The H-1B “cap” (numerical limit) is 65,000 for “regular” cases plus 20,000 for persons who have earned U.S. master’s degrees. Each year this number is “released” April 1 – 5, in a process reminiscent of the Running of the...more
One of the four main processing centers for immigration benefits applications has temporarily closed because of flooding from plumbing problems, USCIS announced today, March 26.
Deliveries by UPS and Fed Ex during the...more
When a foreign national enters the United States, they complete a small form for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) called the I-94. This form is then stamped by CBP with the date of entry and annotated by the border...more
USCIS has announced it expects that all 65,000 “regular” and all 20,000 U.S. master’s degree H-1B slots will be filled in the first five days of filing (April 1 – 5) for the first time since 2008. The government estimate was...more
On March 15, 2013, President Obama extended the grant of “deferred enforced departure” (DED) for Liberians for an additional 18 months beginning March 31.
Because of the civil strife in Liberia, temporary protected...more
When we last visited this question, OCAHO (the administrative office that reviews I-9 fines) found that 30 employees is “small” for the purposes of mitigating I-9 fines.
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3/12/2013
USCIS has published a new I-9 form and instructions effective as of March 8, 2013. You may begin using the new form now, but you may continue to use the old form until May 7, 2013. After that date the new form is mandatory....more
Immigration is working to improve its forms.
The main point is to prepare forms for electronic filing.
We applaud the waive to customer service and agree that e-filing is the future....more
A foreign national entering the U.S. usually must present a visa issued by a U.S. consulate at the point of entry. But not always. Here are some exceptions...more
Department of Homeland Security recently rolled out an on-line tool to check the status of a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) allows the public to request government documents....more
No matter how vigilant you are in checking I-9 documents, that call can still come. The caller claims that your employee is using his or her identity and you need to fix it....more
Our Valentine from USCIS this year was the release of a draft EB5 policy memo. EB5 is the “million dollar investment/10 jobs” category. It does not always require $1 million ($500,000 in rural areas or designated high...more