Federal Litigation and How to Turn a USCIS Denial into an Approval
7/17/19
By: Ken Levine
The FMG Immigration Section was retained to prepare a green card case for one of the top chess players in Asia. Our client, Oliver Barbosa, is a chess Grandmaster who hails from the Philippines. He is currently …
Hooray! My Employee's H-1B Visa Was Finally Approved! Now Why Am I Getting This Revocation Notice?
6/19/19
By: Ken Levine
For the past two years, USCIS has ramped up revocations of approved H-1B petitions. While there are no reliable government statistics, word of mouth in the immigration legal field, as well as increased federal litigation concerning H-1B …
Latest Update on the H-1B Visa Application Process
2/11/19
By: Layli Eskandari Deal
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule implementing changes to the H-1B visa program for petitions filed under the H-1B cap (better known as the H-1B visa lottery).
The rule reverses …
USCIS Reverses Course – STEM OPT Students May Now Work At 3rd Party Client Sites
9/18/18
By: Ken Levine
On August 17th U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted an announcement on their website to publicize the agency’s decision to once again allow STEM OPT F-1 students to engage in training programs at a third-party …
Supreme Court on Prolonged Detention and Bond for Immigrants
3/27/18
By: Layli Eskandari Deal
Immigration has been a hot topic in the news lately due to the various issues being litigated in the Courts. Recently the Supreme Court made a ruling on the issue of prolonged detention by Immigration and …
Planning To File Your 2018 H-1B Cap Case Under Premium Processing? Not So Fast…
3/27/18
By: Kenneth S. Levine
On March 20th USCIS announced an indefinite suspension of the premium processing program for H-1B visa petitions that are subject to the 2018 statutory cap. The annual statutory cap limits the total of H-1B …
2/19/18
By: Kenneth S. Levine
On 2/15/2018 four (4) separate legislative bills that sought to address the March 5th termination of the DACA program, border security, family-based immigration and the Diversity Lottery were put up for a vote in the …
Navigating New California Employment Laws
2/1/18
By: David Daniels
Are you and your clients doing business in California prepared for the new employment laws that take effect in 2018? If you represent employers in the state of California, these laws may very well affect the daily …
California’s Protecting Immigrant Worker Protection Act (AB-450)
1/11/18
On October 5, 2017 Governor Brown signed AB-450 into law further taking California into the federal immigration landscape. The new State law took effect on January 1, 2018.
Here are some key elements:
The Entrepreneurs Parole Visa – Full Steam Ahead – For Now
12/4/17
By: Kenneth S. Levine
On 12/1/2017 a Federal Judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security did not have legal cause to delay the enactment of a visa program for foreign entrepreneurs. The program, referred to as the “International Entrepreneur …
Expect Increased Worksite Inspections by ICE in 2018
11/15/17
By: Melissa M. Whitehead
One can barely turn on the news (or look at Twitter) without hearing about the current Administration’s immigration views and policies. The topic has become so highly politicized that it can be easy to miss the …
Update on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) For Citizens of Nicaragua, Honduras, & El Salvador
11/9/17
By Kenneth S. Levine
On 11/6/2017 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an announcement on the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for citizens of Nicaragua and Honduras. Currently, there are approximately 60,000 Nicaraguans and Hondurans who reside and work …