When University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts was murdered in July 2018, it was discovered that her killer, Cristhian Bahena Rivera, was in the country illegally, with the aid of forged documents. Four years earlier, he had managed to gain…
Immigration
The Employee Experience Is Even More Important to Your Visa Workers
There’s a lot to think about when you’re tasked with handling your organization’s immigration: compliance, filing deadlines, keeping up with changing policies. But it’s crucial that you also keep sight of the employee experience of the foreign national workers you…
Green Card Sponsors Planning a Reorg Need to Handle It Carefully
When sponsoring foreign national employees for employment-based “immigrant visas” or “green cards” (which grant lawful permanent residence in the US), there are many factors an employer must consider, particularly when restructuring, relocating or downsizing its operations, to avoid the consequences…
Immigration Extends Suspension of Premium H1B Processing and Broadens Denial Discretion
In recent weeks, several notable policy changes have taken place concerning the adjudication of immigration petitions by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Suspension of H-1B premium processing On August 28 USCIS announced that it was extending and…
Here’s What U.S. Employers Need to Know About Sending Workers Abroad
In a survey conducted at the end of last year, 59 percent of employers expected their global immigration needs – that is, their need to send U.S. nationals to work abroad – to increase this year. And global immigration is increasingly an…
A ‘Green Card’ Crash Course for HR Pros
Sponsoring an employee to become a “lawful permanent resident” of the United States – i.e., to become a green card holder – can be a valuable recruiting and retention tool. Many foreign national workers crave the stability that comes with having…
Need Tech Talent? Look South of the Border
In today’s competitive economic environment, businesses are defined in large part by their talent. This especially rings true in the fast-evolving technology field, where the race to the next big innovation is on. But finding and holding onto tech talent…
‘Immigration Adjacent’ Perks Are Important For Foreign Workers
Every year, we survey U.S. employers about the status of their employment-based immigration programs. This year, the Immigration Trends report revealed that more than half of employers plan to increase their foreign national headcount and that 70% consider international recruitment…
Premium Processing of H-1B Applications Is Again Suspended
Just days before the the first wave of new H-1B applications begins to arrive, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services suspended premium processing. It’s the second time in two years the government halted the expedited handling program. It expects the…
It’s An Exciting Time to Be In HR In the Middle East
The Middle East is currently undergoing a massive economic transformation, transitioning from resource-dependent into a knowledge-based economy. At its core, is the United Arab Emirates. The nation is quickly becoming a world leading business hub with an epicentre of trade…
Government Is Slowing H-1Bs By Making Greater Paperwork Requests
If your company is petitioning for H-1B visas and it seems like the approval process is taking longer than in years past, it’s not in your head. Anecdotal reports from immigration attorneys are backed up by the numbers: Through November…
Sponsoring An H-1B? Here Are the Essentials
If your company is hoping to sponsor employees through an H-1B visa this year, now is the time to start preparing your petitions (if you haven’t already). This year, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to announce…
To Fill Those Tough Jobs, HR Needs to Think Globally
Between efforts to build a wall and limiting work visas, immigration is a political hot potato in the U.S. But that’s no reason HR can avoid it. In fact, to fill the skills gap that almost 8 out of 10…
Expect More Immigration Crackdowns, I-9 Inspections and Visa Woes in 2018
While violations of laws regarding legal employment authorization – purposeful or inadvertent – have always carried potential serious consequences for employers, recent efforts to focus on this area by the U.S. federal government make it increasingly important to understand the…
More Regulatory Changes Are Coming In the Employment Sector In 2018
The Trump administration’s Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (“regulatory agenda”), released on December 14, 2017, indicates agencies are taking a hard look at existing rules, and treading lightly with new ones. The fall regulatory agenda outlines each agency’s…
What Visa Employers Can Expect When Inspectors Show Up
Since 2009, site visits from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have been a standard part of compliance verification for the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. While these visits may feel uncomfortable, you can prepare your employees ahead of…
4 Best Practices to Ensure Immigration Compliance
Tapping into the global workforce – and sending employees to offices around the world – can be a financial boon in many industries. But whenever business crosses national borders, it also increases in complexity and introduces new rules businesses must…
SMBs Say: Keep H-1B But Give Us a Share
On July 11, the Trump administration made another major change to U.S. immigration policy that impacts the nation’s small and midsize businesses (SMBs) when the President postponed implementation of the International Entrepreneur Rule until March 14, 2018. This decision comes…
Screening International Workers Is Becoming a Must
The debate on immigration and the global economy has never been fiercer. At the same time, competition for top talent continues to grow, as employers look to an international workforce to fill talent gaps and expand operations across the globe….
President Orders H-1B Visa Rules Reviewed, Tightened
On April 18, 2017, President Trump signed the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order (EO), which addresses H-1B visas. The EO calls for the application of existing U.S. laws to visa recipients and the re-evaluation of the H-1B program. In…