The ever-changing landscape of employment-based immigration continues to pose challenges for U.S. employers. With increased scrutiny on foreign national workers, compliance audits, and evolving nonimmigrant visa policies,...more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently updated its Occupational Information Network (O*NET), resulting in readjustments to the “Job Zones”—five articulated categories correlated with the levels of education, training,...more
As hospitals and medical centers continue to face enormous challenges in staffing, employers are looking for alternatives to meet these seemingly unfillable positions. The high demand for foreign nurses has contributed to a...more
The Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that it is considering expanding the list of predetermined occupations for Schedule A Designation petitions. DOL is requesting comments on broadening the list of occupations to...more
Employers seeking to hire a non-US worker on a permanent basis are generally required to undertake a lengthy, complex sponsorship process involving both the Department of Labor (“DOL”) and the United States Citizenship and...more
After federal courts blocked their first attempt in December, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently published a new final rule seeking to again increase the minimum wage paid to foreign workers when sponsored for an...more
The U.S. Department of Labor recently announced changes that will make it harder for employers to meet the prevailing wage standard to bring in temporary professional workers under H-1B visas. The changes are also likely to...more
In its continuing effort to limit legal immigration, the Trump Administration announced two rule changes last week to radically limit H-1Bs and the most common employment-based permanent residence process. The first rule...more
In June, President Trump issued a proclamation that suspended the issuance of certain nonimmigrant visas and required the Secretaries of Labor and Homeland Security to provide recommendations on measures to protect the U.S....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
PERM can be one of the most confusing and frustrating portions of the employment-based Green Card process for employers. PERM is driven by numerous regulatory requirements and the slightest mistake can doom a Green Card...more
Congress has until September 30, 2015 to reach an agreement on the 2016 Fiscal Year federal budget. If an agreement to fund the federal government is not reached, immigration processes are expected to be impacted as they were...more