On October 8, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued an interim final rule (IFR) to incorporate changes to the computation of prevailing wage levels. The wage adjustments will affect the processing of H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 temporary work visas, as well as the permanent labor certification program (PERM) applications. The IFR is effective...
Blog
Oct82020
On October 1, 2020, Congress passed a new Bill (Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act was included in Division D, Title I of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act) increasing USCIS Premium Processing Fees from $1,440.00 to $2,500.00 for most cases. The good news is that the Bill also expands the immigration petitions...
Sep242020
There has been so much back and forth with Trump’s public charge rule that it’s difficult to keep up with the current status quo. In February of this year the Trump administration started to implement its public charge rule, requiring officers to make a prospective determination as to whether an intending immigrant is likely to...
As most of you will be aware President Trump issued two Proclamations, one in April and the second one in June of this year. The first Proclamation suspended entry of Immigrants into the U.S. for 60 days for those without a valid visa or travel document. The second Proclamation extended the first one through December...
One of the requirements to obtain an I-140 approval is that the Employer demonstrates the financial ability to pay the proffered wage from the priority date until the foreign national receives their green card, showcasing their capability in proving financial ability. The priority date for EB-2 and EB-3 is established based on the date the...
If you have been charged or convicted of a crime you may be concerned about how this will affect your Immigration status. Certain offenses can make you inadmissible and/ or deportable. However, before we start discussing these offenses it is important to understand the distinction between the grounds of inadmissibility and deportability as different rules...
Pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), Employers are required to complete and retain an I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification for each employee who is hired for employment, with limited exceptions which will be discussed below. IRCA specifically prohibits Employers from knowingly employing individuals who are not authorized to work in the...
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic, President Donald Trump has issued two Proclamations banning entry of a huge range of foreign workers and family immigrants. The proclamations are supposedly in response to unprecedented unemployment levels. More specifically, virtually no employment-based immigrants (H1s, L1s, Js and their families) or family immigrants (except for the spouses...