Courts Support Employers/Employees in Immigration Battle
Courts Support Employers/Employees in Immigration Battle A pair of recent federal court decisions provides an optimistic outlook for the future of employment-based immigration. First, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has invalidated new policies rushed through by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) that restricted employment-based immigration. […]
DOS Update on National Interest Exceptions to Travel Bans
DOS Update on National Interest Exceptions to Travel Bans H/L Travel Ban The Department of State (DOS) provided further guidance as to which visa applicants may be considered for a national interest exception under Executive Order 10052. Pursuant to this executive order, the DOS currently prohibits the issuance of new visa stamps to […]
Immigration Updates
Gee & Zhang LLP anticipates numerous and significant immigration developments over the coming months as the government continues to push through new immigration policies and deal with COVID-19 and the U.S. economic recovery. Given the rapid and increasing number of immigration changes, we have consolidated summaries of recent key items of interest to your business […]
Update: U.S. Embassies and Consulates Slowly Begin to Resume Visa Services
Update: U.S. Embassies and Consulates Slowly Begin to Resume Visa Services On July 14, the U.S. Department of State announced a phased, post-by-post resumption of routine visa services at U.S. embassies and consulates beginning July 15 [1]. Most routine visa services had been suspended for 117 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Details of […]
Update: ICE Rescinds Online Education Policy in Win for Colleges & Int’l Students
Update: ICE Rescinds Online Education Policy in Win for Colleges & Int’l Students Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will rescind its recent policy requiring international students to depart the U.S. if all of their classes are taught online. The rescission resolves a lawsuit filed […]
International Students Must Depart if College Goes Fully Online
As universities around the country announce their plans for the fall in light of COVID-19, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced its rules governing student visas for the upcoming semester. ICE is eliminating the exemption that it made for students taking online classes in the spring and summer semesters. The new rule, applicable this […]
Proclamation 10014
Proclamation 10014 Citing a threat to the jobs of American workers amid the COVID-19 crisis, President Trump has issued a proclamation that suspends entry to the U.S. of foreign nationals seeking certain employment-based nonimmigrant visas.[1] The Executive Order prohibits entry into the U.S. for new H-1B, L-1, H-2B, and certain J-1 nonimmigrants, as well as […]
Supreme Court Prevents DACA Termination
Supreme Court Prevents DACA Termination Today, the Supreme Court sided with recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the 5-4 majority saying that the Trump Administration’s 2017 DACA rescission was “arbitrary and capricious” and “must be vacated.” The Court’s majority agreed with the arguments of injured DACA […]
Immigration Update: COVID-19 Brazil (E-Blast)
Immigration Update: COVID-19 Brazil (E-Blast) President Trump issued a proclamation extending the COVID-19 travel ban to include Brazil. The original effective date of May 28, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. has been moved up and the travel ban is now in effect. The ban applies to persons in Brazil or who have traveled to Brazil during […]
Immigration Update: I-9 Updates
I-9 Updates A New Version of Form I-9 was released on October 21, 2019 and is now mandatory. USCIS also announced a temporary COVID-19 policy allowing employees to provide List B documents that expired on or after March 1, 2020. Such documents will be treated as valid temporarily and the employee must provide a valid […]