Category: General Immigration

  1. Employers Must Remain Immigration Compliant or Face Stiff Penalties, Negative Publicity, and Criminal Penalties

    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. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are focusing on Pennsylvania and New Jersey employers through collaboration with the Social Security Administration (SSA) in READ MORE READ MORE

  2. New Jersey May Become 14th U.S. State to Issue Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants

    After New York passed a bill on June 19, 2019, to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, New Jersey is up next to vote. The New Jersey Senate is scheduled to vote on December 16, 2019. If New Jersey passes this bill, it will become the 14th U.S. state to issue driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. Introduction The bill was introduced in November 2018. Advocates of READ MORE READ MORE

  3. H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker Nonimmigrant Visa Provisions Effective December 16, 2019

    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. What changed? Prior to this new regulation, the employers seeking READ MORE READ MORE

  4. H-1B Non-Immigrant Temporary Specialty Worker Visa Denials Quadruple in 2019

    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. About the USCIS Analysis Data In a recently released report, the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) concluded that “as READ MORE READ MORE

  5. U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services Increases Premium Processing Fee for Employment-Based Petitions Again

    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 READ MORE READ MORE

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