Immigration

As promised, I am following up on my email from last week regarding some additional resources for employees working abroad.

In a welcome move, on March 18, 2016 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released policy guidance for its officers to help them decide "green card portability" cases.

Although I have been writing offer and assignment letters for more than 15 years, I’m curious as to what are today’s best practices for preparing these documents as our company extends its global reach.

The Department of State’s Office of Private Sector Exchange Administration has announced that it will perform site visits to many J-1 Intern and Trainee host organizations beginning this month.  Most individual participants and host organizations will receive emails from the J-1 sponsors regarding these visits.

On April 11, Douglas Hauer, a Member in our Boston office, will moderate, and William Coffman, Of Counsel on our immigration team, will speak as part of a panel on German-American visa and immigration issues. Topics covered will include dual citizenship, work visas for employment in Germany, US green card issues, and changes in the US visa waiver program.

JD Supra has recognized seven Mintz Levin attorneys, including Bill Coffman, Of Counsel on the immigration team, as part of their 2016 Reader's Choice awards. Bill was recognized for being "a Top Author with readers in the semiconductor industry."

In an update to Canada's announcement of a new Electronic Travel Authorization Program (eTA), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has relaxed the eTA registration requirement until "fall 2016".

At 4:50 p.m. today, one of our top software developers, Ben Bedraggled, stumbled into my office. He dropped his suitcase and computer bag on the floor and slumped into a chair looking like he had been on an airplane for about 24 hours - it turns out this was about right.

Today, March 9, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security previewed the final rule governing STEM OPT, to be released on Friday. This rule is effective May 10, 2016, except the addition of 8 CFR 214.16, which is effective from May 10, 2016 through May 10, 2019.

On October 1, 2015 USCIS announced the launch of the Known Employer Pilot Program. Yesterday, March 3, USCIS confirmed the participation of five employers in the pilot. The purpose of the Known Employer Program is to expedite processing of certain immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions via a "pre-approval" process of certain employer information.

From proposals to overhaul OPT to decreasing the number of H-1Bs, 2016 is already proving to be an interesting year for business immigration. In a series of posts, the Mintz Levin team will provide an overview of the cases, legislation, and regulations to look out for in the new year.

The US Consulate in Toronto has introduced "streamlined" registration for companies applying for E-1 Treaty Trader or E-2 Investor registrations. In addition, E-1 and E-2 visa processing for employees of companies with valid registrations has been expanded to the US Embassy in Ottawa and US Consulates General in Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal.

From proposals to overhaul OPT to decreasing the number of H-1Bs, 2016 is already proving to be an interesting year for business immigration. In this series of posts, the Mintz team will provide an overview of the cases, legislation, and regulations to look out for in the new year.

Tips for start-up companies building an immigration petition.

In our increasingly globalized economy, employers strategically place employees in assignments across international locations, and utilize cross-border business trips to facilitate demanding international business needs. However, many employers fail to thoroughly consider the risks or implications of sending their employees abroad.

In an update to our post from January 25, 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Thursday further restricted visa-free travel to the U.S. for people who have traveled to Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.

From proposals to overhaul OPT to decreasing the number of H-1Bs, 2016 is already proving to be an interesting year for business immigration. In a series of posts, the Mintz team will provide an overview of the cases, legislation, and regulations to look out for in the new year.

From proposals to overhaul OPT to decreasing the number of H-1Bs, 2016 is already proving to be an interesting year for business immigration. In this series of posts, the Mintz Levin team will provide an overview of the cases, legislation, and regulations to look out for in the new year.

In a notice expected to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, February 16th, with an effective date the same day, US Customs and Border Protections (USCBP) announced that it is extending Global Entry eligibility to all citizens of Germany.

From proposals to overhaul OPT to decreasing the number of H-1Bs, 2016 is already proving to be an interesting year for business immigration. In a series of posts, the Mintz Levin team will provide an overview of the cases, legislation, and regulations to look out for in the new year. In our second post we will discuss regulatory issues with OPT.