The September 2018 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart contains important updates. The September Visa Bulletin for employment-based cases became effective August 9, 2018, due to high demand of immigrant visa numbers in the EB-2/EB-3 Worldwide, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Philippines preference categories. The DOS states that the increased demand for immigrant visa
The later part of July brought two major immigration developments that affect U.S. businesses and foreign nationals. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has recently issued a memorandum pertaining to the government’s policy on the Requests for Evidence (RFEs) issuance for petitions and applications for various immigration benefits. While the practice of the
The August 2018 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases reflects significant movement for All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, Vietnam, and China. EB-1 Priority Workers for All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam will now have a cut-off date of May 1, 2016. EB-2 “Members of the Professions
Law360 included comments from Shareholder Irina Plumlee in an article discussing the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to Trump v. Hawaii on U.S. business. Plumlee told the publication that advising against travel, even in the case of green card holders, “isn’t going too far at all.” She also noted that foreign nationals often
The government’s immigration enforcement efforts remain on the rise. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently reached a settlement with a North Carolina landscaping company. DOJ’s investigation found that Triple H Services LLC (“Triple H”) engaged in discrimination against U.S. workers qualified, available, and willing to accept positions with the
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has completed the H-1B petitions selection for processing under the government-imposed cap, and, at this time, all petitioners that have not received receipt notices for their H-1B submissions should anticipate the petitions’ return with standard rejection letters from the USCIS. Importantly, foreign students using the “cap gap” provisions
The July 2018 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases will contain significant movement for China and India, while other chargeability areas will experience no change. EB-1 Priority Workers for China and India will continue to maintain the same cut-off date of January 1, 2012, and EB-1 All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras,
United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has issued a policy memorandum changing certain rules governing F-1, J-1, and M status students attending U.S. colleges and universities and vocational training programs. As of August 8, 2018, students that fail to properly maintain their status in the U.S. will start accumulating unlawful presence in this country
A California IT company has settled with the government for over $173,000 at the conclusion of the investigation into the business’s use of the H-1B professional foreign worker program. The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation uncovered that Cloudwick Technologies Inc. (“Cloudwick”) paid its sponsored H-1B workers significantly below the prevailing wages
The June 2018 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases experienced very little movement. EB-1 Priority Workers for China and India will continue to maintain the same cut-off date of January 1, 2012 and EB-1 All Chargeability areas, El Salvador/Guatemala/Honduras, Mexico, Philippines, and Vietnam will remain current. EB-2 “Members of the Professions