With “extreme vetting,” our immigration system is changing rapidly. Despite restrictions, employers who act strategically can still hire and retain the top talent from around the world. Immigration is tightening without Congressional oversight or adherence to the federal rulemaking process. Many of these changes stem from executive orders issued by President Trump seeking to curb…
DetailsIf you need to renew a visa, beware! U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made renewing most work-related visas much more difficult. For the last 13 years, USCIS officers automatically granted visa renewals as long as the situation of the foreign national did not change and no error or fraud was found in the…
DetailsPresident Trump issued a list of harsh immigration measures this month that he said Congress must include in any legislation that allows Dreamers to remain in the U.S. Trump’s Demands Nearly 30,000 of the 800,000 Dreamers in the U.S. live, work, and study in the Bay Area, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services…
DetailsThe Supreme Court this week dismissed one of the challenges to President Trump’s second travel ban on citizens of six majority-Muslim countries since it has expired. The high court dismissed the case from the federal appeals court in Richmond, Va. That court ruled the second travel ban violated the Constitution’s protection against religious discrimination. Trump…
DetailsYou can now apply for a work permit and social security number at the same time, thanks to interagency cooperation. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Social Security Administration has started sharing information. That cooperation now allows foreign nationals to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD)—or work permit—and a social security number on…
DetailsA group of investors, entrepreneurs, and startups sued the Trump administration last week for its “unlawful delay of the start date of the International Entrepreneur Rule.” The International Entrepreneur Rule was slated to go into effect on July 17, 2017. Less than a week before that date, the Trump administration delayed the implementation of the…
DetailsU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resumed premium processing for all H-1B visa petitions on Sept. 18, less than six months after it was suspended. This includes premium processing for H-1B petitions filed by U.S. companies seeking to transfer or extend an existing employee’s status. The highly coveted H-1B visa allows U.S. companies to employ highly…
DetailsPresident Trump and Congress have extended the EB-5 Regional Center visa program through December 8, 2017, without any changes. Legislation hammered out by Trump and Congressional leaders to provide disaster relief, suspend the U.S. debt ceiling, and extend government funding included extending EB-5. Under the EB-5 program, a foreign national and her or his family…
DetailsSilicon Valley immigration attorney Sophie Alcorn will take your questions and discuss the current state of U.S. immigration under President Donald Trump during a free lunchtime webinar on Thursday, September 21, 12:00 – 1:00 pm. Alcorn will focus on how to obtain visas and green cards for startup founders, investors, and employees in Silicon Valley…
DetailsToday the Trump administration announced the end of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Since 2012, it has enabled Dreamers—undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children—to remain in the U.S. and work here without fear of deportation. The Department of Homeland Security stopped accepting new applications for DACA status after today,…
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