High Skilled Labor
Trump Nominee for USCIS Director Testifies before Senate Committee
President Trump’s pick for the next director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lee Francis Cissna, recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was the first congressional body to publicly vet Cissna after his nomination. The content of this hearing, coupled with his work advising the Trump… Read More
Training for U.S.-Educated Noncitizens Withstands Another Restrictionist Attack
Some foreign students complete their stay in the United States by gaining professional experience in their field of study. Immigration restrictionists want to end that opportunity. For the second time, a court has ruled against a group that has repeatedly tried to stop foreign students in F-1 status from… Read More
Trump’s Latest Executive Order Targets High-Skilled Immigrants
On April 18, President Trump signed the presidential executive order on Buy American and Hire American. Similar to the other immigration-related executive orders, this one has no immediate effect. The executive order does not change the existing requirements for any visa category or the processes for approving a petition… Read More
Trump Administration to Announce H-1B Visa Changes
Several media outlets have reported that on Tuesday, April 18, President Trump will sign an executive order mandating that the immigration agencies undertake a review of the H-1B visas classification and suggesting that they must take steps to overhaul the process for allocating the limited number available… Read More
H-1B Annual Cap Reached in First Week for Fifth Consecutive Year
U.S. employers are vying for the chance to hire skilled foreign workers, but once again, the annual H-1B cap has been reached within five business days. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting H-1B petitions on April 3, 2017 and, on April 7, USCIS announced that it had… Read More
Halt to Premium Processing of H-1B Visa Petitions Hurts Workers, Business and USCIS
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced it will halt premium processing of H-1B visa petitions on April 3, for up to six months. Through the H-1B visa category, employers can petition for highly educated professionals to work in “specialty occupations” that require at least a bachelor’s degree… Read More
USCIS Should Accept Provisional Degree Certificate as Proof Degree Was Received for Advanced Degree Professionals
The Council filed an amicus brief in a case pending before the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), an administrative body at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that reviews denials of most employment-based visa petitions. Read More
Five Things to Look for on Immigration in the 115th Congress
When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in later this month, for the first time in a decade, the Republican Party will have control of the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the Presidency. In theory, this control allows the Congress to pass and help implement many of the incoming… Read More
Immigrant Potential Is an Expensive Thing to Waste
High-skilled new Americans often face obstacles in obtaining jobs appropriate to their skill level. There are many reasons for this. Those who are educated outside the U.S. may fail to have their foreign training recognized by U.S. employers and licensing bureaus. Some lack proficiency in English and race and ethnicity… Read More
FOIA Lawsuit on H-1B Lottery Policies and Procedures
On behalf of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the Council, in cooperation with Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd., filed a lawsuit against USCIS and DHS seeking the public release of records relating to the policies and procedures USCIS follows when administering the annual H-1B random selection process… Read More
