April 2009 Immigration Update

Headlines: 1. H-1B Update: FY 2010 Filing Starts April 1 – USCIS has put in place a five-day window for H-1B filings if the agency receives 65,000 or more applications within the first five business days in April. 2. H-2A/H-2B: DOL Withdraws Interpretation of FLSA On Relocation Expenses – The interpretation said that the FLSA […]

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAM: BAYO V. CHERTOFF AND THE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION (ESTA)

By David A. Isaacson* The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), established under Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), allows nationals of certain countries to enter the United States without the necessity of obtaining a visa. Those who take advantage of this program are required to waive many of their rights to contest their […]

ON THE EDGE OF THE PRECIPICE Р BEING LAID OFF DURING THE 7TH YEAR H-1B

byCyrus D. Mehta* Among the group of employees in H-1B status who are vulnerable when they lose jobs, no group is more vulnerable than those that have maximized their 6th year limit in H-1B status and are in their 7th or 8th year H-1B extension based on a pending labor certification. Not only are they […]

WALKING THE HIGH WIRE WITHOUT A NET Р THE LAWYERХS ROLE IN THE LABOR CERTIFICATION PROCESS

by Gary Endelman and Cyrus D. Mehta We invite you to read this in-depth and multi-faceted article on the role of the lawyer in the complex labor certification process. It raises many legal, practical, ethical and policy questions concerning labor certification, especially in the context of layoffs and appealing a denial. Also, it addresses the […]

March 2009 Immigration Update

Headlines: 1. Economic Stimulus Bill Includes H-1B Restrictions for TARP Recipients, Strips E-Verify Provisions; Fails To Extend EB-5 Regional Center Pilot – Section 1611 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Stimulus Bill”) includes H-1B restrictions for recipients of TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) funds. 2. CBP Discusses Immigrant Intent for Trade […]

THE PATH LESS TAKEN: IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE TO WAITING FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM?Ё

By Gary Endelman* and Cyrus D. Mehta** “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken (1915) America should not wait for Congress to solve most of its major immigration problems. While we do need new […]

THE PORTABILITY PARADOX

by Cyrus D. Mehta* It is well settled that a non-citizen must have the requisite intent to work for his or her employer at the time of entry or adjustment of status under the second or third employment preferences. A non-citizen who does not have such a bona fide intent is potentially inadmissible under Section […]

SENATE AMENDMENT 306 TO FURTHER RESTRICT THE H-1B VISA PROGRAM: SOUND ECONOMICS OR DOBBSIAN ECONOMICS?

byAdam Ketcher1* In a time when hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers are losing their jobs each month in an economic disaster that pundits analogize to the Great Depression,2 we might expect our Congress to look to Keynesian model of recovery. But with the evaporation of so much capital from our financial system, the public […]

February 2009 Immigration Update

Headlines: 1. Prepare Early for H-1B Lottery – The Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers recommends contacting your ABIL member now to begin preparing your H-1B strategy and paperwork. 2. New I-9 Form Available, USCIS Delays Change in List of Acceptable Documents– The new form reflects the DHS’s amended regulations governing the types of acceptable documents […]

IMMIGRANTS CAN BOOST THE ECONOMY

by Cyrus D. Mehta* With the euphoria of President Obama’s historic inauguration and his quick moves to bring about transparency and accountability in government, as well as due process by ordering the closing of Guantanamo and other secret CIA prisons overseas, it remains to be seen whether immigrants will get a boost or not with […]