On Thursday, October 8, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published an interim final rule (IFR) that revised the definition of the term “specialty occupation” and placed additional restrictions on...more
Effective October 8, 2020, the US Department of Labor will determine the prevailing wage for permanent labor certifications and labor condition applications based on a new formula for computing prevailing wage levels,...more
The Trump Administration has announced that it will publish two Interim Final Rules on Thursday, October 8, 2020 that will substantially alter the H-1B visa program for temporary professionals working in a specialty...more
Department of Labor (DOL) regulations require employers to abide by the terms and conditions of the H-1B visa program, including all DOL and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidelines. With the sudden...more
Congress is currently at a budget standoff that threatens to shut down the federal government for the second time in two years, effective September 30, 2015 at midnight, the start of the new fiscal year. As with the last...more
On July 21, 2015, USCIS issued Final Guidance for agency adjudicators regarding applying the precedent decision, Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC. As we previously reported, Matter of Simeio radically reinterpreted the...more
Although the regulations are not final and may change, government contractors should take steps now to prepare for the anticipated final regulations under the Executive Order. On May 28, the Federal Acquisition...more
On April 9, 2015, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a precedential decision (Matter of Simeio Solutions, 26 I&N Dec. 542) that significantly impacts U.S....more
The federal agencies charged with implementing President Obama's July 31, 2014 Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order have released their much-anticipated proposed rule on this directive. On May 27, 2015, the Department...more
There have been recent changes in the immigration world regarding the requirements for off-site employment. Both the H-1B visa category and the L-1B visa category, which are two of the more common employment-based visa...more
On April 9, 2015, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a binding, precedential ruling that all U.S. employers must file an amended petition with the agency...more
Dorsey & Whitney immigration professionals would like to remind you that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will begin accepting H-1B petitions that are subject to the FY 2015 numerical limitation (the...more
In July 2012, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, agreed to lift his hold on the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (H.R. 3012) that was passed by the U.S. House of...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed significant changes to the Labor Condition Application (LCA), ETA Form 9035 and related forms for H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa petitions. The LCA, which is submitted online...more