Will There be a Grace Period if USCIS EB-5 Regulations Are Adopted in February 2018?

Last year, the DHS accelerated its rulemaking schedule to adopt proposed new regulations on the EB-5 regional center program in February of 2018. The new EB-5 regulations increase minimum investment amounts, centralize TEA designations at DHS and allow for certain EB-5 petitioners to retain their original priority date should they decide to re-file their EB-5 […]

To H-1B or Not to H-1B in 2018?

Washington D.C., January 22, 2018: For foreign workers and their employers, January usually marks the beginning of preparations for filing a new H-1B skilled worker visa in the opening week of the annual H-1B lottery that starts April 1. Will this change in 2018? If last year’s trends continue, the answer is yes. In 2017, […]

Does the USCIS Stop Processing Petitions if the Federal Government Shuts Down?

Washington, D.C. – January 19, 2018: As negotiations on Capitol Hill continue to reach agreement on a bill to fund operations of the U.S. federal government, employers and immigrants are frequently anxious about whether U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will also shut-down. The short answer to this concern is “no”, USCIS continues to operate […]

New EB-5 Regulations Scheduled for February 2018

Washington, D.C., January 16, 2018: As Congress debates legislative changes to the EB-5 Regional Center program ahead of the January 19, 2018 deadline for renewing the program, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) schedule appears on track to deliver new EB-5 regulations in February 2018. Last fall, the DHS accelerated its rulemaking schedule to adopt […]

White House Seeks to End Several Immigration Programs

Washington D.C., January 9, 2018 – The first two weeks of 2018 have started with a large wave of news relating to immigration issues emanating from the White House. The overall picture that is forming confirms the Trump administration’s intention to curb illegal immigration to the United States, while also limiting legal immigration. In terms […]

Foreign Workers Facing Possible Changes in 2018

H-1B Spotlight: Update on Possible Changes in 2018 Washington, D.C. – January 7, 2018: A recent House bill seeks to tighten access to H-1B temporary skilled worker visas for employers and employees. In November 2017, the House Judiciary Committee approved the proposed the Protect and Grow American Jobs Act legislation by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). […]

IS H-1B REFORM APPROACHING IN 2018?

Washington D.C., December 22, 2017 – Recently, the U.S. Federal Government (Office of Management and Budget Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OMB)), made public a summary of its regulatory agenda for 2018. The USCIS regulatory agenda included several important proposals that could impact the H-1B temporary skilled worker visa program as part of the […]

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Extending EB-5 Program

Washington D.C., December 22, 2017 – This week, the House of Representatives and the Senate each passed a Continuing Resolution extending the operation of the U.S. Federal Government until January 19, 2018. As part of the Continuing Resolution, the EB-5 Regional Center visa program was also extended without changes until January 19, 2018. The Continuing […]

New RIMS II Multipliers are Available

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced that updated multipliers from the Regional Input-Output Modeling System (RIMS II) are now available. The updated RIMS II multipliers are based off the 2007 national benchmark input-output data and 2015 regional data. The multipliers are available for purchase at https://apps.bea.gov/regional/rims/rimsii/ RIMS II is a regional economic model […]

USCIS Seeks to Distinguish TN Economists from Marketing and Financial Analyst Occupations

Washington DC, December 20, 2017 – USCIS issued guidance dated November 20, 2017 entitled “TN Nonimmigrant Economists Are Defined by Qualifying Business Activity.” The purpose of the new policy guidance was to define the occupation of economist for TN visa petitions. The guidance issued by USCIS seeks to prevent TN economists from working primarily as […]