Jan 15, 2021
In the last full week of the Trump administration, the DOL has once more issued a prevailing wage rule that lifts wages for H-1B, E-3, and H-1B1 nonimmigrant cases and for the PERM labor certification program. The new final rule, which was published on January 14, and goes into effect sixty days later, contains significant prevailing wage increases for all wage levels, though the new minimums are not as high as initially sought by DOL. The rule also provides a multi-year transition period which is intended to give employers time to meet the wage increases and makes certain accommodations for H-1B workers who are pursuing employment-based permanent residence. Initial wage increases are set to begin on July 1, 2021.
Dec 10, 2020
Medical associations and hospitals are joining forces with immigration groups to advocate for legislation that will address the healthcare worker shortage by allowing unused immigrant visas to be allocated to highly skilled foreign workers: doctors and professional nurses. However, in order for this bill to pass a bipartisan solution must be reached.
Dec 2, 2020
A federal district court in California has set aside two new immigration regulations that were promulgated on a fast track by the Departments of Labor (DOL) and Homeland Security (DHS) in early October. The court found that the agencies did not have good cause to bypass notice and comment rulemaking procedures in violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. Learn more in this blog.
Apr 5, 2019
On March 29, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security indicated plans to release an additional 30,000 visas in the H-2B category. Learn more in this blog.
Feb 27, 2019
On Friday, February 22, Emily Brown of Green and Spiegel gave a presentation to the Merrill Lynch office in Mount Laurel, NJ on the realities of human trafficking. Read a full recap of the event here.
Dec 27, 2018
Following a flurry of failed deals to keep the government open during the holiday season, the Federal Government shut down as of 12:00AM on December 22, 2018. This post covers how the shutdown affects immigration processes.
Dec 7, 2018
A tentative bi-partisan deal has been struck to reform the H-2B program, in effect doubling the number of allotted visas per fiscal year from 66,000 to 132,000. However, there is a price to pay for the cap increase, and that price is the new requirement that all H-2B employers perform strict checks on all workers hired since 2012.