Entries by Cyrus Mehta

CONSEQUENCES OF AN UNTRUTHFUL DECLARATION ON FORM I-9

by Adam Ketcher* & Cyrus D. Mehta** Section 1 of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, warns new employees that the representations they make while completing the form carry the weight of declarations, and the law imposes penalties of civil fines and/or imprisonment upon the use of false statements and/or documents in completing Form I-9. For […]

STATUS THROUGH SELF-EMPLOYMENT

by Cyrus D. Mehta* While the economy has taken a nosedive resulting in the slashing of hundreds of thousands of jobs, and depriving foreign nationals of obtaining status through employment-based sponsorships, it is useful to analyze how foreign nationals may still gain status through self-employment. In its narrowest terms, self-employment involves someone working for himself […]

October 2008 Immigration Update

Headlines: 1. Employment Visa Categories Backlogged – Many employment category cut-off dates have been established for October. 2. DV-2010 Visa Lottery Entry Period Begins – The DV-2010 Lottery online entry period runs from noon EDT on October 2, 2008, to noon EST on December 1, 2008. 3. EAD Delays: What To Do? – The USCIS […]

THE PLIGHT OF H-1Bs DURING 2008Хs ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

by Cora-Ann V. Pestaina* Last week, on one of the most dramatic days in Wall Street’s history, Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself to Bank of America to ward off deepening financial crisis, while another prominent securities firm, Lehman Brothers, filed for bankruptcy protection and hurtled toward liquidation after it failed to find a buyer. […]

September 2008 Immigration Update

Headlines: 1. New Passport Card Is Acceptable For Employment Eligibility Verification – The passport card is considered a “List A” document that may be presented by newly hired employees during the employment eligibility verification process. 2. USCIS Issues Work Authorization Application Version Reminder – USCIS issued a reminder to use the correct version of the […]

REPEAL OF THE HIV IMMIGRATION BAN

On 7/30/08 President George W. Bush signed into law the United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act (H.R.5501/S.2731). The bill includes a provision that repeals the HIV travel/immigration ban by amending the current health-related ground of inadmissibility in the Immigration and Nationality Act to exclude any reference to HIV. This provision […]

MARTINEZ V. MUKASEY: NEW HOPE FOR CERTAIN LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS WITH CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

By David A. Isaacson* Earlier this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a decision that could make relief from removal available to many Legal Permanent Residents with criminal convictions who had previously been thought ineligible to receive such relief. Martinez v. Mukasey, 519 F.3d 532 (5th Cir. 2008), holds […]