Munsch Hardt’s Immigration Team Wishes you a Happy Holiday

The Immigration Team at Munsch Hardt wishes you the best this Holiday Season and beyond! Following two years of pandemic cancellations and as countries ease coronavirus (“COVID”) restrictions worldwide, domestic and international travel is forecasted to surge this year for the holidays. A few safety tips for your upcoming travel:

  1. Be prepared: Check your passport and visa validity before a trip. Hint: if you are traveling abroad, make sure that you have proper documentation to enter the country of your destination and return to the U.S., and have any necessary transit visas for your flight “stop overs.” In addition to valid original travel documents for yourself and each family member, be sure to have copies of all of these documents in a safe place, apart from the originals. If your documents are lost or stolen, having these copies would help save time when obtaining duplicates;
  2. Check Consular Schedules: If your travel plans include consular visa appointments, check consular schedules twice (or three times) in advance of your travel and print out and take with you all appointment confirmation documentation, including attorney-certified visa petition copies, and anything else the particular consulate requires; and
  3. Be Informed of Travel Advisories: Certain countries may have their own entry and exit requirements with regard to COVID vaccinations and testing (e.g., PCR and antigen tests). Ensure that you are aware of these requirements prior to travel to avoid any potential delays.

We hope you have a great time with family and friends and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year!

E-Verify Mismatch Updates

As a reminder, employees who had E-Verify mismatch cases referred to the Social Security Administration (“SSA”) between March 2, 2020 through December 31, 2020 should visit their local SSA offices to resolve their mismatches before the end of 2022. Employees whose cases were referred in 2021 should visit the SSA between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2023 and those whose cases were referred in 2022 between January 1st and July 14th should visit their local SSA office between April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023, to resolve their mismatches. While these timeframes serve as recommendations, all employees must resolve their mismatches by the final deadline of September 29, 2023 or they will receive a Final Nonconfirmation. Please note that employees whose E-Verify cases were referred to the SSA after July 14, 2022 will have the normal eight (8) federal working days to contact their local SSA offices to resolve the mismatches, as E-Verify no longer provides extensions for new mismatch case resolutions. Consult with immigration counsel and ensure your company’s E-Verify practices are in compliance with federal law to avoid potential penalties.