The Department of Justice announced on June 15, 2021, that it reached a settlement with Tecon Services Inc. (Tecon), an industrial insulation, fireproofing, and painting contractor based in Texas. The settlement resolves claims that Tecon discriminated against a...
Topic: Immigration Updates
Vermont Service Center Address Changes
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that as of June 25, 2021, the Vermont Service Center will no longer receive any incoming mail at the St. Albans, Vermont, facility, which is being decommissioned. Mail sent to the previous address will be...
USCIS Reports on FY 2022 H-1B Cap Registration Process
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported that the H-1B cap electronic registration process was "again well-received by users, who provided a high satisfaction score with the system for FY [fiscal year] 2022 (4.87 out of 5)." USCIS received 308,613...
Final Action Dates Advance in Visa Bulletin for July; Possible Expiration of Employment Fifth and Regional Center Visa Categories Noted
The Department of State's Visa Bulletin for July includes advances in final action dates for China (moving forward almost two months, to November 8, 2015), and Vietnam (leaping forward almost two years, to April 1, 2020). The bulletin also notes that since there has...
EB-5 Program Set to Expire June 30, Outlook is Uncertain in Short Term
The EB-5 regional center program, under which foreign investors indirectly finance projects in the United States in exchange for green cards, is set to expire on June 30, 2021. Whether Congress will be able to reach agreement on a plan to extend it remains uncertain,...
Miller Mayer Wins EB-5 Expedite Approval
Immigration cases can take a long time. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) often takes two years or longer just to decide an I-526 petition, the first step in the EB-5 immigrant investor process. Miller Mayer recently received approval of an I-526...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Shortage of High-Skilled Workers, Supreme Court Decision, Temporary Protected Status, Border Wall
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by CNBC in "Facing Shortage of High-Skilled Workers, Employers Are Seeking More Immigrant Talent, Study Finds." "We have not revamped our legal immigration categories, including business immigration, since...
Supreme Court Rules Unlawful Entry Precludes TPS Recipient’s Eligibility for Green Card
In Sanchez v. Mayorkas, decided June 7, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipient is not eligible for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status merely because of the TPS. Eligibility for LPR status generally requires an...
I-9 Guidance Released for H-2B Workers Seeking to Change Employers
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance on the Form I-9 Employment Authorization Verification process for H-2B workers seeking to change employers. The guidance follows a joint temporary rule published on May 25, 2021, by the Departments of...
USCIS Announces Lockbox Filing Flexibilities
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced filing flexibilities to provide relief to certain applicants and petitioners affected by delays at a USCIS lockbox. These flexibilities only apply to benefit requests submitted to a USCIS lockbox and not to...
