Announced via Tweet by Chad Wolf, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the COVID-related restrictions at the Canadian and Mexican borders have been extended yet again until November 21, 2020. These restrictions apply to land and sea entries and prevent entry for non-essential purposes. Although there continues to be some inconsistency at ports
Immigration
Department of State Proposes to End B-1 in Lieu of H-1B Visa
The B-1 in lieu of H-1B visa has been used by international companies to bring employees who remain on payrolls abroad to the United States for short periods of time (generally fewer than six months) to do professional level work that benefits the company abroad. Through the rulemaking process, the Department of State is proposing…
Suits Challenge New Rules on H-1B and PERM Labor Certification Programs
Business groups, universities, and technology consulting firms have filed suits seeking to enjoin the new rules on H-1B and PERM labor certification programs issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) on October 8, 2020.
Those rules, both issued as Interim Final rules and without the usual notice and…
Pandemic-Based E-Verify TNC Temporary Extensions to End
E-Verify will no longer allow extensions for addressing Tentative Nonconfirmations (TNCs) beginning November 5, 2020.
After relaxing processing guidelines because of processing hardships due to COVID-19, E-Verify is again enforcing its requirement that employees choosing to contest TNC notifications must take action to contact the appropriate government agency within 10 federal government workdays.
TNCs are…
Remote Workers Visas in COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 experience, some employers and employees are exploring the idea that work may be carried out remotely. Countries with economies that rely heavily on tourism (and hard-hit by the pandemic) are using this to their advantage.
In the United States, business advocacy groups and many companies have been urging the removal of…
New H-1B Rule Will Increase Denial of Petitions, DHS Says
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released yet another rule that will make it harder and more costly for U.S. companies to employ highly skilled workers.
As a companion regulation to the “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States” rule, DHS has released the…
DHS Announces Relaxing Travel Restrictions to U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is making it a little easier for some foreign nationals to fly to the United States by lifting certain restrictions in place following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the restrictions, any airplanes carrying passengers who had recently travelled to or had been present in China, Iran, the…
Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Nonimmigrant Ban
Judge Jeffrey S. White has granted the plaintiffs’ request for preliminary injunction preventing the continued enforcement of the Presidential Proclamation suspending the entry of certain individuals in H, L, and J status (Nonimmigrant Ban) in National Association of Manufacturers et al. v. Department of Homeland Security et al.
This ban has been creating uncertainty for…
DHS May Resume Public Charge Rule, Federal Appeals Court Rules
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may resume implementation of the new Public Charge Rule, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has ruled.
The factors that are considered under the new Public Charge Rule include the applicant’s use of public benefits, employment status and history of employment in the U.S., among others.…
I-9 Flexibility Continued for Another 60 Days, Until November 19, 2020
Days before the upcoming deadline, ICE has announced it is extending the remote virtual verification option for completion of I-9 employment verification an additional 60 days (instead of just 30 days), until November 19, 2020, due to continued precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pursuant to the original guidelines for virtual verification, eligible employers may…