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On August 6, 2014, the American Immigration Lawyers Association sent a letter to President Obama recommending administrative fixes or executive action to tweak the business immigration system in light of Congressional failure to pass an immigration reform bill. The list of recommended actions are within the realm of administrative law and existing statutes. Only Congress can change or amend statutes, including underlying visa categories, requirements and numbers. However, within the confines … [Read more...]
Immigration and Firm News
June 5, 2014 by ·
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced release of a revised Form I-821D for "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" (DACA). The first DACA approvals will begin to expire in September 2014. I previously reported on the process for those DACA approvals that were obtained from ICE. The majority of recipients received DACA from USCIS. In fact, USCIS reports that "[a]s of April 2014, more than 560,000 individuals have received DACA." In announcing the renewal … [Read more...]
June 1, 2014 by ·
I am honored to report that I will be serving on the American Immigration Lawyers Association US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) International Operations Committee. This part of USCIS deals with issues related to I-130 family petitions and waivers of inadmissibility filed abroad, adoption, and humanitarian parole. The committee monitors trends in these areas. From time to time, the committee also prepares practice advisories for AILA members. The USCIS international Operations … [Read more...]
May 30, 2014 by ·
Many employers are considering whether to voluntarily sign up for E-Verify, the government's electronic database to verify employment authorization and Social Security numbers. Use of E-Verify is voluntary for most employers but not for those residing in states or counties where it is mandatory. It is also mandatory for certain federal contractors, those employers wanting to hire STEM graduates for the longer Optional Practical Training period, and for some employers where E-Verify is mandatory … [Read more...]
May 30, 2014 by ·
On March 13, 2014, President Obama called for a review of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) enforcement practices. However, this week he announced that he would delay this effort until summer's end if Congress does not pass legislation in the remaining few legislative sessions before then. Hoping to extend an olive branch to the more restrictionist GOP House members, the President is hoping to give them a window of opportunity to take up immigration reform legislation in the coming … [Read more...]
May 15, 2014 by ·
USCIS has issued proposed rules to enhance the usability of some work visas to make some of the procedures less disruptive for employers and employees and to attract and retain international experts. The Obama Administration is trying to improve some of the visa issues that make it difficult for employers to keep or attract highly skilled foreign workers. Comments by the public are due on or before July 11, 2014. Comments can be emailed to USCISFRComment@uscis.dhs.gov. Include DHS Docket No. … [Read more...]
May 12, 2014 by ·
DHS has issued proposed regulations to allow the spouses of H-1B workers to apply for work authorization. The public has until July 11, 2014 to comment. Comments can be emailed to uscisfrcomment@dhs.gov using in the subject line "DHS docket number USCIS-2010-0017" or by commenting online using the preceding docket number to search. The purpose of the regulation is to address "personal and economic hardship for the families of H-1B nonimmigrants the longer they remain in the United States" … [Read more...]
May 5, 2014 by ·
Welcome to the newest website for the Law Office of Bonnie Stern Wasser. It was time for an update. The new site is intended to be more client-oriented with a focus on how we solve problems for clients. Please provide your comments and suggestions for content ideas, navigation, or other features. A new Advocacy page has been added to educate readers about why we need immigration reform and the necessary components needed for such reform plus comments about the immigration reform debate. … [Read more...]
April 30, 2014 by ·
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today that starting May 1, 2014, non US citizens will be able to access up to five years of I-94 arrival information online. Last year, CBP transitioned to paperless I-94s. However, initially they said that if travelers did not download their I-94 before departing the USA, the data would be lost. The availability of five years of data should be much more helpful to individuals who may have forgotten to download their I-94s in the last year. In … [Read more...]
April 30, 2014 by ·
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is soliciting public feedback about the EB-5 immigrant investor program until May 8, 2014. USCIS established an "Idea Community" several months ago to broaden its outreach to stakeholders on a variety of topics. In a recent EB-5 stakeholder's meeting held April 23, 2014, USCIS said it would solicit more input about the program overall as it contemplates forthcoming regulatory changes designed to address these issues: a) combating fraud, b) … [Read more...]
