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Inflation Reduction Act
President Trump Extends and Expands Visa Restrictions
On June 22, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation extending and expanding existing restrictions on visas to enter the U.S. The White House also released a factsheet in connection with the proclamation, and that document argues that additional restrictions...
Labor & Employment Webinar: Have Questions? Get Answers
The volume of evolving information arising out of the coronavirus pandemic is astounding. How do employers sort through it all to know what is important for your company and role within the organization? Bracewell’s webinar aims to help. Our Labor...
Fifth Circuit Upholds Independent Contractor Status for Highly Skilled Energy Industry Consultants
In Parrish v Premier Directional Drilling , the Fifth Circuit recently rejected a group of directional driller consultants’ claims for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) finding that the directional driller consultants were properly classified as independent contractors...
Proposed Changes in the H-1B Cap-Subject Filing Process
For years now employers have been confronted with severe limitations on visa numbers for new H-1B petitions. Historically, USCIS receives more than enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated H-1B cap. Therefore, it uses a computer-generated random selection process to...
Climate Change Alert - A Colder Immigration Front Has Come
Since President Trump took office, there have been significant changes on the immigration front. In addition to the termination and curtailing of several humanitarian-based programs such as DACA and the Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan...
Latest I-9 Form Published Today
USCIS released today the latest Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification . Employers may continue using the old Form I-9 with a revision date of 11/14/16 N through Sept. 17 (the revision date is indicated in the bottom left corner of...
USCIS Announces New Measures to Detect H-1B Visa Fraud and Abuse
On April 3, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced heightened measures to deter and detect H-1B visa fraud and abuse. In its site visits to H-1B petitioners and the worksites of H-1B employees, USCIS will implement...
USCIS Publishes Final Rule For Certain Employment-Based Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Programs
USCIS has published a final rule to modernize and improve several aspects of certain employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa programs and to better enable U.S. employers to hire and retain certain foreign workers who are beneficiaries of approved employment-based immigrant...
Revised I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form: Effective January 22, 2017
A revised version of Form I-9 , Employment Eligibility Verification has been published. Effective January 22, 2017, employers must only use the new version of the Form I-9 dated 11/14/2016 N. The old version dated 03/08/2013 N may still be...
Immigration Issues Included in the Omnibus Appropriation Bill
Congress has agreed on the omnibus appropriations bill, which will provide discretionary funding for the government through the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2016. The bill includes a number of immigration-related issues which were highly debated in the...
Employment Authorization For Certain H-4 Dependent Spouses
Effective May 26, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending eligibility for employment authorization to certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. Eligible individuals include certain H-4 dependent spouses...
Presidential Memorandum: Streamlining the U.S. Immigrant Visa System
The immigration executive actions announced by the President on November 20, 2014 are expected to be implemented in the next several months, and some initiatives may take longer. The new programs will be funded through application fees rather than appropriated...