Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a Rule in the Federal Register that could drastically change the premium processing program and cause delays in the otherwise timely adjudication of employer-based immigrant and non-immigrant worker petitions. » Read More

With the Trump Administration’s increase in employer immigration enforcement, businesses of all sizes and in all types of industries must be prepared.

Ensuring a compliant Form I-9 processing system demands that all employers stay current on the changing Form I-9 regulations and increased enforcement. » Read More

On November 15, 2019, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) amended the regulations that govern the H-2B temporary non-agricultural worker certifications. Changes have been made to the DOL’s labor market test that is conducted to assess the availability of the American workers for the required job position. » Read More

An analysis of U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) data between 2015 and 2019 related to H-1B, Specialty Occupation non-immigrant visa petitions shows denials of H-1B initial employment petitions have quadrupled for both initial H-1B petitions and those seeking the continuation of employment with the same employer. » Read More

On December 2, 2019, the cost to request premium processing of employment-based immigrant and non-immigrant petitions by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will increase from $1,410 to $1,440.

In a statement, USCIS noted that the increase “is done in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, reflects the full amount of inflation from the implementation of the premium processing fee in June 2001 through August 2019 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U).” USCIS increased the premium processing fee to the current $1,440 from $1,225 in October of 2018. » Read More

The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan through January 4, 2021. » Read More

A new law was passed in Pennsylvania prohibiting employment of unauthorized employees.

Starting in October 2020, the construction industry employers are mandatorily required to verify the Social Security numbers of the employees. » Read More

Sixty former workers of Load Trail, a leading trailer manufacturing business, have filed a class-action suit against the business for failure to pay for the overtime work. » Read More

Last month, the New York City Commission on Human Rights (“NYCCHR”) adopted enforcement guidance on its prohibition of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived “alienage and citizenship status” and “national origin.” The NYCCHR highlighted the following demographics of our city’s melting pot:

• Approximately 3.2 million residents (37% of the city’s population) were born outside of the country
• More than 50% of children in the city have a foreign-born parent
• Approximately 60% of residents in the city live with at least one immigrant in the household
• With hundreds of languages spoken throughout the five boroughs, New York is one of the most linguistically diverse cities in the world

Early this year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed the mailing of “No-Match” letters to employers that submit, through a Form W-2, at least one name and Social Security Number that fail to match SSA records. » Read More