March 2008 Immigration Update
Headlines: 1. Filing Tips for H-1B Applications – The Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers recommends these tips for employers planning to file H-1B applications. 2. USCIS Announces Centralized Filing Location for H-1B Cap Exempt Petitioners – This includes petitions filed by institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations or entities related to or affiliated with […]
PERM CONUNDRUMS
by Cyrus D. Mehta * In recent months, immigration practitioners are reporting an increase in audit notifications each time a PERM application is filed with the Atlanta and Chicago Processing Centers. The audits primarily request a “business necessity” justification for job requirements with the Department of Labor (DOL) finds excessive. An employer’s job requirement will […]
USCIS REVISES EARLIER GUIDANCE ON ITS FBI NAME CHECK POLICY
By Adam Ketcher* I wrote MANDAMUS ACTIONS: AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT (December 10, 2007, https://cyrusmehta.com/perseus/) to provide a basic overview of when federal litigation may be appropriate to compel the government to complete the adjudication of an application for which processing has been delayed by two years or more. I wrote this article in response to […]
The H-1B VISA PROGRAM
by Cyrus D. Mehta * On April 1, 2008, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions in advance of October 1, 2008, which is the date when H-1B visas under Fiscal Year 2009 become available. Since it is anticipated that there will be more petitions filed than the number of […]
February 2008 Immigration Update
Headlines:1. Federal Contractors Must Use E-Verify, White House Orders – Under a new executive order, federal contractors must check the immigration status of their current and future employees through the E-Verify online employment authorization verification system. 2. CBP Issues Tips for U.S.-Canadian Border Travelers – With the onset of summer travel, U.S. Customs and Border […]
CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS IMMIGRATION ISSUES
Attached is a Powerpoint Presentation that was presented at a seminar on the same topic by Cyrus D. Mehta and Poorvi Chothani in Mumbai, India, on January 4, 2008.
RECORDING DEPARTURE FROM THE US AFTER THE FACT
by Cyrus Mehta* It is important that when a nonimmigrant departs the United States, his or her departure be recorded in the system. This is done when the person hands over the white-colored I-94 card to the airline counter upon departure. The I-94 card was initially issued at the point the nonimmigrant was previously admitted […]
PIMS, PETITION FRAUD AND EB-2 UNAVAILABILITY
by Cyrus Mehta* During my recent trip to Mumbai, India, the media that covers US immigration matters was very interested in knowing more about the new Petition Information Management System (PIMS) and the likely delays that it could cause to visa applicants. On Friday, January 11, 2008, I met with Michael J. Carver, Vice Consul, […]
January 2009 Immigration Update
Headlines: 1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Challenges Legality of E-Verify Requirement for Federal Contractors – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit against the DHS challenging the legality of requiring federal contractors to begin using E-Verify by January 15. 2. DHS Issues Interim Rule on I-9 Verification Documents – The interim rule, among other […]
January 2008 Immigration Update
Headlines: 1. Rhetoric on Support for Science Doesn’t Match Reality of Appropriations – The appropriations bill signed into law in December included meager funding for advances in scientific research rather than the more substantial increases that had been expected. 2. Department of State To Begin Issuing Passport Cards – The final rule provides for a […]
THE SUPREME COURT AND THE ANTI-RETROACTIVITY PRESUMPTION
by Patricia Mann* Ex post facto laws retroactively change the legal consequences of acts, or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. Justice Joseph Story, a member of the Supreme Court in the early 19th Century, defined a retroactive statute as “taking away or impairing vested […]
CRITERIA FOR NATURALIZATION AND SELECTED PROBLEM AREAS
(REVISED AND UPDATED)
by Cyrus D. Mehta* A. Introduction In an era of heightened enforcement against noncitizens, naturalization offers a number of important benefits such as the right to vote and also immunity against deportation. While naturalization appears to be a relatively simple process, it also has many pitfalls. The attorney must carefully evaluate the client’s eligibility for […]
(REVISED AND UPDATED)
LATEST FROM MR. AYTES AT USCIS
by Cyrus Mehta* At the AILA-NY Chapter Conference on December 13, 2007, Michael Aytes, Associate Director Emeritus, Domestic Operations Directorate, USCIS, provided interesting perspectives of what USCIS has in store for us in the coming months. The other panel members were Sharon R. Mehlman, AILA SCOPS Liaison Committee Chair, and Shawn A. Orme, AILA USCIS […]
MANDAMUS ACTIONS: AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT
by Adam Ketcher* Recently, the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association announced that during a meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, he indicated U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have re-examined their existing name check system and developed strategies to process security clearances more quickly.1 Secretary Chertoff confirmed […]
December 2007 Immigration Update
Headlines: 1. No-Match Letters Will Not Be Sent This Year, SSA Says – The SSA will not send out no-match letters this year to employers, in response to a preliminary injunction. 2. USCIS Releases New Form I-9 – USCIS has revised the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form as a first step toward achieving the document […]
THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION, TRAVEL AND H OR L STATUS
by Cyrus D. Mehta * As hundreds of thousands of would be immigrants filed adjustment of status applications during the window between July 17, 2007 and August 17, 2007, it is unlikely that cut-off dates in the Employment-based Second (EB-2) and Third Preferences (EB-3) will advance very rapidly. For instance, the State Department Visa Bulletin […]
OPT-OUT PROVISION UNDER THE CHILD STATUS PROTECTION ACT
by Cyrus D. Mehta* Section 6 of the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA)1 allows beneficiaries of I-130 petitions that have been converted from the Family Second Preference (F2B) to the Family First Preference (F1), after the parent has naturalized, to opt out and remain in the F2B.2 It is possible for the F1 to be […]
November 2007 Immigration Update
Headlines: 1. Backlogged Immigration Cases ‘Could Take Years’ to Process, USCIS Says; No Forward Movement of Cut-Off Dates – USCIS faces huge backlogs because of fee changes combined with confusion over the cut-off date for employment-based applications. 2. Talent Pool Increasingly Global: EU Blue Cards Proposed, Migrant Policy Web Site Launched – Will the European […]
PRACTICE ALERT: HEIGHTENED SCRUTINY OF L-1B VISAS
by Elizabeth T. Reichard1 Practitioners Beware! L-1B Visa Program is facing heightened scrutiny. Reports are streaming in that the Service is issuing sweeping Requests for Evidence (“RFEs”) on all L-1B cases.2 The RFEs appear to be boilerplate and often ask for information that has already been submitted. Rarely do the RFEs make reference to the […]
GREEN CARDS THROUGH INVESTMENT
by Mark Ivener * and Cyrus D. Mehta** For foreign investors looking for freedom and flexibility to live and work in the United States in a way accommodating to their lifestyles, the little-known EB-5 investor category can provide an excellent opportunity to accomplish this goal through the obtaining of Green Cards. There are essentially two […]
