US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a nearly 15% fee increase for its premium processing service. The current $1,225 fee will increase to $1,410, effective October 1, 2018.
Premium processing is an optional service USCIS offers to employers that for an additional fee allows for 15-day processing of certain immigrant and non-immigrant employment-based visa petitions. » Read More
Raymond G. Lahoud, a Member with Norris McLaughlin& Marcus, P.A., and Chair of its Immigration Practice Group, is pleased to present two free seminars for all human resource professionals, business owners, compliance officers, administrators, and management at organizations and companies in every industry of every size. » Read More
Federal Judge Orders Government to Begin Accepting New DACA Applications
Late last week, United States District Judge John Bates, presiding in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must begin accepting all applications for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which had been suspended since 2017. » Read More
After a period of uncertainty, the Trump Administration extended Temporary Protected Status, or “TPS,” to certain Somalis living in the United States. The extension granted them the right to live in the United States until at least March of 2020, at which point the U.S. » Read More
White House instructs border officers to reject all asylum claims based upon gang or domestic violence.
The Trump Administration will start instructing all officers reviewing asylum and refugee applications – including those made at the U.S./Mexico – to summarily reject any claims based upon fear of gang or domestic violence. » Read More
ICE Arrests More Than 100 During Company Raid in Ohio
This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers raided Corso’s Flower and Garden Center in Castalia, Ohio, arresting over 100 company employees who are alleged to be in the United States without documentation. » Read More
In a surprise morning raid yesterday, hundreds of Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descended upon an Ohio gardening and landscaping company and arrested over 100 of the landscaping company’s employees, who were determined to be employed in the United States without lawful authorization. » Read More
Agriculture and Construction Industries are Concerned About Labor Shortages
Despite lower unemployment across the country, agriculture and construction companies continue to face vacant positions, and are arguing for increased immigrant labor. For example, in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, there is greater demand for construction work, but there are approximately 38,000 unfilled position in the industry. » Read More
Congressional Republicans broke for the Memorial Day recess amid a heated debate within the party about whether to provide a pathway to citizenship for many immigrants who benefit from DACA, a program that shields from deportation approximately 800,000 people who entered the United States as children. » Read More
