Immigration - General

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed a memorandum fortifying the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. His administration also has granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to more individuals: those from Venezuela and Burma. Building on this, President Biden also pr

Over 40 percent of counties in the United States are experiencing population declines, and the country is experiencing a decline in the working-age population. Together, these demographics, some say, may signal an eventual slowdown of the economy . How to reverse the trend? Immigrants moving to targ

On March 9, 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the Biden administration would no longer enforce the 2019 public charge rule implemented by the Trump administration.

On February 26, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was offering additional flexibility for international students affected by the delayed issuance of receipt notices for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. USCIS had previously acknowledged tha

A noncitizen applying for relief from deportation bears the burden of proving all elements of eligibility for relief, including that a conviction under a divisible state statute does not render the person ineligible for relief, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-3 opinion (Justice Amy Coney Bar

The gap between jobs needing to be filled and the skilled talent pool capable of filling them continues to grow wider in many industries, particularly in the U.S. manufacturing industry.

Last week, President Biden’s comprehensive immigration reform proposal, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, was introduced in the House and Senate .

On March 1, 2021, USCIS will be returning to the 2008 version of the naturalization civics test. This change is a response to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order , “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration System,” that directed a review of the naturalization process to eliminate barriers to the p

The United States Citizenship Act was introduced on February 18, 2021. Sponsored in the House by Representative Linda Sanchez (D-Calif) and in the Senate by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the bill calls for broad immigration reform, including creating paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants

On the same day his nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Alejandro Mayorkas, was confirmed , President Joe Biden signed several Executive Orders regarding immigration, including one that directs complete review of policies. The first , “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Imm

The Afternoon News with Kitty O'Neal Attorney Jennifer Shaw on the Impact of Biden's Immigration Plan on CA By Kitty O'Neal, News 93.1 KFBK Jan 27, 2021https://www.iheart.com/video/jennifer-shaw/?reid=new_assets%252F60120c2a6cb40315d9a92266&embed=true&autoStart=false&useFullScreen=true Listen: Emplo

On his first day in office, President Joseph R. Biden signed a memorandum for the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security ordering them to preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA). DACA was instituted by President Obama, terminated by President Tr

Former President Trump’s administration made countless policy changes that have transformed the U.S. immigration landscape over the past four years. With President Biden now in office after running a presidential campaign that emphasized the benefits of lawful and employment-based immigration, the n

President Joseph Biden signed the Proclamation on Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States (“Proclamation Ending Discriminatory Bans”) during his first hours in office, terminating the controversial Muslim Ban and its sequel, the Africa Ban . The Muslim Ban was based on an Executive

E-Verify is an electronic employment verification program through which employers may confirm the work eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. Although E-Verify started as a voluntary program, except for federal contractors, it has become mandatory for many employers in several

Last summer the state of Florida enacted a new law requiring public and private employers to comply with new state E-Verify requirements starting January 1, 2021 .1 E-Verify is the Internet-based system operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration that

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued an alert on delays in processing receipt notices due to the surges in petition filings at lockbox facilities because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the agency’s “flexibility” in response. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many foreign nationals

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have allowed some flexibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some of the changes in effect: Virtual Inspection Since March 2020, employers may inspect Section 2 documents virtually, e.g ., over video link

On November 30, 2020, a federal district judge in the matter of Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al. , No. 16-1170, issued an order to uphold the Obama-era program permitting extensions of optional practical training (OPT) work authorizations for

Along with extending its flexibility in allowing virtual Form I-9 employment verification until December 31, 2020, USCIS is also continuing its flexibility with regard to long-pending Employment Authorization Document (EAD) applications. USCIS expected that this interim solution would only be necess