Earlier this month, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched an initiative to automate the issuance of Forms I-94, Arrival/Departure Records for travelers arriving by sea or air. Records of admission will now be generated by CBP using traveler information captured through electronic means. Passengers arriving by sea or air will no longer complete a paper… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Immigration Policy
Subscribe to Immigration Policy RSS FeedNew Form I-9 is now in effect
Posted in I-9 Compliance, Immigration Policy, UncategorizedAs a follow-up to our Alerts of March 8, 2013 and May 6, 2013, this is a reminder that the revised Form I-9 must now be used by all U.S. employers for new hires. The new form went into effect May 7, 2013. The new Form I-9 may be found at http://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central. Mintz Levin’s most… Continue Reading
Editorial on immigration reform by Bill Weld and Susan Cohen featured in Boston Globe
Posted in Immigration Policy, Immigration ReformSusan Cohen and Bill Weld recently authored an editorial on the need for bipartisan action on immigration reform. The editorial appeared in the April 20, 2013 edition of the Boston Sunday Globe. Here is the link: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2013/04/20/both-sides-should-back-immigration-reform/6hmLQYucRht9vQnPNrXsbN/story.html
USCIS Expects the H-1B Cap to Be Reached in the First Few Days of April 2013
Posted in Emerging Companies, H-1B, Immigration Policy, Nonimmigrant Visas, UncategorizedU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 cap on Monday, April 1, 2013. See a copy of the full press release at http://www.uscis.gov/h-1b_count, which is USCIS’s H-1B FY 2014 cap resources page.
Immigration Reform: It’s Time for a Course Correction
Posted in Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Immigration Policy, Immigration ReformThe first two months of 2013 have seen a flurry of activity relating to immigration reform. President Obama is pushing for comprehensive reform as are powerful factions within both the Senate and the House. And the political will and rising tide of opinion in favor of reform are making for unusual bedfellows, as exemplified by… Continue Reading
Mandatory E-Verify: Not Too High a Price for Necessary Immigration Reform
Posted in E-Verify, I-9 Compliance, Immigration Policy, Immigration ReformIn yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Laura Murphy and Fred Smith of the ACLU and Competitive Enterprise Institute, respectively, warned against the dangers of a mandatory E-Verify system. They argued that the E-Verify system invades the privacy of the employees whose data is run through the system and that the E-Verify verification process effectively lumps everyone into… Continue Reading
Monitoring Evolving Changes in the Department of State’s Administration of the J-1 Trainee and Intern Visa Programs
Posted in Immigration Policy, J-1 Visas, SEVPU.S. companies that offer appropriate internships or traineeships to junior-level foreign employees who come to the U.S. to gain on-the-job training often utilize J-1 exchange visitor visa programs for interns and trainees. This program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (“BECA”) within the Department of State (DOS). There are several different… Continue Reading
Mintz Levin Files FOIA Request for DOL Prevailing Wage Data
Posted in Foreign Labor Certification, Immigration Policy, PERM Labor Certification, Prevailing Wage FOIA, U.S. Department of LaborOn December 7, 2012, Mintz Levin filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) with the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”). The request seeks disclosure of all documentation relating to prevailing wages, statistical methodologies and related internal communications in connection with the agency’s administration of the Foreign Labor Certification Program. This request is… Continue Reading
E-2 Visas for Israelis: Security Concerns and Upcoming Elections May Delay Implementation
Posted in Consular Processing, E-2 Investor Visas, E-2 Visas Israel, Emerging Companies, Immigration Policy, Israel Business, Nonimmigrant VisasThe U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv has not yet issued guidance to the public on the availability of E-2 visas for Israeli citizens.
Immigration reform and economic growth are intricately connected
Posted in Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Immigration Policy, Immigration ReformSusan Cohen of Mintz Levin and Michael Klein of Tufts University recently co-authored an interesting article, “Is U.S. Immigration Policy Holding Back Economic Growth?” which appeared online at http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/u-immigration-policy-holding-back-economic-growth-223347436.html.
Deferred Action Program Now Implemented by Homeland Security
Posted in Deferred Action, DREAM Act, Immigration Policy, Immigration Reform, UncategorizedToday, the Obama administration is implementing a new Deferred Action Program that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will administer. This program, which operates as a form of prosecutorial discretion, offers young people who are in the United States with no legal immigration status the opportunity to avoid deportation for at least two years and… Continue Reading
Current Form I-9 continues to be valid beyond 08/31/2012
Posted in I-9 Compliance, Immigration PolicyUntil further notice, employers should continue using the Form I-9 currently available on the forms section of the USCIS website. Employers should continue to use the current version of Form I-9 even after the OMB control number expiration date of August 31, 2012 has passed. USCIS will provide updated information about the new version of… Continue Reading
Mayor Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch tout benefits of a liberal immigration policy to the U.S. economy
Posted in Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Immigration Policy, Immigration ReformOn Tuesday, August 14th Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch visited Boston to tout the economic benefits to the United States of a liberal immigration policy focused on entrepreneurship and job creation. At a forum hosted by the New England Council, where they were introduced by Boston’s mayor Thomas Menino, Bloomberg and Murdoch took turns… Continue Reading
