The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced a new "OPT Employment Compliance Unit" that will be dedicated to compliance matters involving wages, hours, and compensation within Optional Practical Training (OPT), the STEM OPT extension, and Curricular...
Topic: Immigration Updates
DHS Announces Countries Eligible for H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs
The Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Department of State, announced the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A (temporary agricultural) and H-2B (temporary nonagricultural) visa programs in 2021. For 2021,...
USCIS Suspends All In-Person Services for Two Days
Following violent rioting and invasion of the U.S. Capitol and amid threats of further violence, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it "will temporarily suspend in-person services at all field offices, asylum offices and application...
Labor, Homeland Security Dept. Issue Final Rules Changing Prevailing Wage Methodology, Employer-Employee Relationship
The Departments of Labor (DOL) and Homeland Security (DHS) issued final rules making substantive changes to foreign worker programs, notably prevailing wage methodology and the definition of the employer-employee relationship for H-1B workers. Below are selected...
Free Webinar re Possible Immigration Changes in a Biden Administration
With an incoming Biden Administration on January 20, many changes to federal immigration policy are potentially on the horizon. Miller Mayer attorneys Kristal Ozmun and Stephen Yale-Loehr will discuss the possible immigration changes that the Biden Administration may...
Miller Mayer Receives EB-5 Approval After Motion to Reopen
Miller Mayer recently received approval of an EB-5 I-526 petition after successfully filing a motion to reopen the originally denied case. While the initial petition was denied after submission of a request for evidence, Miller Mayer crafted a winning motion to reopen...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Asylum Changes, L-1 Visas, Supreme Court Cases
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the New York Times in "A Judge Has Blocked Trump's Sweeping Restrictions on Asylum Applications." Commenting on a new rule blocked by a federal judge that would have closed the United States to most...
SAVE Issues Notice on Verifying Applicants’ Extended Deferred Action Under DACA
The Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program announced that it can verify when an applicant for a federal, state, or local government benefit or license has received deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). SAVE noted...
USCIS Issues Final Rule Prioritizing Higher Wages in H-1B Cap Selection Process
On January 7, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a final rule prioritizing the selection of new H-1B petitions in 2021 based on higher proffered wages. The new rule gives priority to petitions that offer "Level IV" wages (wages around...
Miller Mayer Receives National Interest Waiver Approval for Health Policy and Management Expert
Miller Mayer recently received an immigrant visa petition approval in the EB-2 green card category with a national interest waiver for a health policy and management expert from China. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approved the petition without...
