Following the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “silent raids” of nearly 100 7-Eleven store locations and several major prosecutions for worksite immigration compliance violations, ICE has recently announced a 3-prong approach to enforcement efforts. The new approach involves (1) Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification compliance audits; (2) investigation and punishment of employers knowingly employing unauthorized
The February 2018 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases contains some important updates as we enter the 5th month of FY2018. All qualified EB-1 Priority Workers will remain current. EB-2 “Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability” for All Chargeability areas, Mexico, El Salvador / Guatemala
Staffing companies’ owner has been sentenced to 52 months in prison and a $50,000 fine for fraudulent H-1B petitions submission for foreign professionals. According to the court documents, the owner and her spouse filed over 100 H-1B petitions for foreign workers’ placement at nonexistent businesses or businesses that had never received these H-1B workers’ services.
The start of the New Year has been marked by a few immigration controversies. An important federal court decision of January 9th has resulted in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) resumption of DACA status renewal and temporary employment authorization application acceptance and processing for the registered DACA individuals. USCIS recommends that applicants
We are wishing you a Wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! A few safety tips for your upcoming holiday travel: 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
Importantly, the new year often brings changes to government procedures that can affect employment practices or employees’ immigration proceedings. With the change in year, the immigration service often changes its immigration filing locations, updates immigration and related forms, and imposes new fees on certain applications. It is important to check with immigration counsel regarding any
The December 2017 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases contains some important updates as we enter the 3rd month of the government’s fiscal year (FY2018). All qualified EB-1 Priority Workers will remain current for the third consecutive month. EB-2 “Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability”
The new policy guidelines from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reverse the long standing practice of the agency’s deference to its own prior adjudications (i.e., approvals) of certain immigration proceedings for the purpose of the extension filings review. The newly adopted guidance instructs adjudicating officers to apply the same level of scrutiny to nonimmigrant visa
The November 2017 DOS Visa Bulletin “Final Action” chart for employment-based preference cases contains some important updates as we enter the 2nd month of the government’s new fiscal year (FY2018). All qualified EB-1 Priority Workers immigrant visa eligibility remains current for the second consecutive month. EB-2 “Members of the Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons
Following investigation and resulting charges, Asplundh Tree Expert Co. pled guilty to hiring undocumented immigrants and will pay $95 million in criminal forfeiture and civil penalties, which amounts to the largest fine ever assessed in a single immigration case. The government alleged that the higher level management of the company “remained willfully blind” to the