USCIS
Some 3-Year Work Permits Being Recalled by USCIS
This week, the federal government announced that it would take more aggressive steps to retrieve 2,600 3-year DACA grants, including launching home visits for a small number of people. This move stems from developments in Texas v. United States, the legal challenge to expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA). Read More
H1-B Cap Filled in a Flash, Underscores Need for Immigration Reform
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that USCIS reached the “H-1B cap” for fiscal year 2016—meaning that in seven days, U.S. employers filed more petitions for an H1-B visa to hire a skilled foreign worker than the entire year’s allocation of visas available under current law. Every… Read More
Immigration Agency Issues Long-Awaited Guidance on L-1B Visa Petitions
This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) took another crucial step toward administrative reform of our immigration laws. The agency issued for public comment long-awaited policy guidance on its adjudication of L-1B “specialized knowledge” visa petitions. The L-1 category allows a U.S. multinational company to transfer talented employees,… Read More
DHS Funding Controversy Over, But Enforcement-First Approach Remains
Over five months into fiscal year 2015, the President on Wednesday finally signed the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’) appropriations bill, after Congress twice narrowly averted shutting down the agency. Congressional members called it a “clean” bill, without House Republicans’ efforts to repeal President Obama’s recent executive actions (well within the President’s authority). But the debate over executive action has prevented a meaningful debate over the funding bill’s provisions, which support and expand DHS’ failed “enforcement first” approach to immigration policy. Read More
Immigration Action Provides Certain H-4 Spouses Work Authorization
As part of the package of executive actions announced in November 2014, the secretary of Homeland Security directed the immigration agencies to implement new policies and regulations intended to support U.S. high-skilled businesses and workers. Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued the first of these… Read More
Supreme Court Hears Argument on Whether Government Must Justify Its Visa Denial
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday in a case pitting a U.S. citizen who wants to live in the United States with her foreign national spouse against the U.S. government, which is intent on preventing even a modest level of court review when an immigrant visa is denied. Read More
Government Releases Information About Expanded DACA Application Process
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released resources to help applicants understand the process for requesting Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The USCIS website now contains a list of frequently asked questions to address who is eligible and how the process works as well as instructions for how to… Read More
New York Times Exposes ‘Shame of America’s Family Detention Camps’
The New York Times details the government’s dangerous and expanding practice of detaining women and children who have recently crossed our southwest border in the magazine’s cover story this weekend “The Shame of America’s Family Detention Camps.” The facility the Times describes in Artesia, New Mexico, has since been… Read More
Why Are Immigration Court Hearings Being Set Into 2019?
The immigration court system in the United States is being stretched to the breaking point. Immigration courts have long been expected to do more and more work without the additional funding or personnel needed to do the job effectively. But now, the courts are struggling to handle newer cases… Read More
New Study Finds Systematic Bias in Labor Certification Process
In most cases, when an employer is interested in hiring a foreign national to work in the United States on a permanent basis, a permanent labor certification from the Department of Labor (DOL) is necessary. When required, the DOL must certify to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services… Read More
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