On December 5, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit granted the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) motion for a stay of the preliminary injunctions granted by the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of California and Eastern District...
Topic: Immigration Updates
USCIS Expands Guidance on ‘Good Moral Character’ Determinations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently expanded its policy guidance on good moral character (GMC) determinations. On December 13, 2019, USCIS expanded its policy guidance regarding unlawful acts that may prevent an applicant from meeting the GMC...
USCIS Announces Implementation of H-1B Electronic Registration for FY 2021 Cap Season
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has completed a pilot-testing phase and is implementing an electronic registration process for the next H-1B lottery. Employers seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions for the fiscal year 2021 cap,...
House Passes Bill to Address Labor Shortage in Agriculture; Senate Prospects Unclear
By a bipartisan vote of 260-165, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation intended to ease the agricultural labor shortage by providing a path to legal status for agricultural laborers, allowing additional green cards, and making it easier to hire H-2A...
Possible Retrogression in EB-2 Worldwide and EB-3 Worldwide in January
Charles Oppenheim, a Department of State spokesperson, has warned that this year retrogression in the employment-based second and third preference visa categories may come much earlier than usual. Historically, these categories have become backlogged in late summer...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Public Benefits for Immigrants, Student Visas, H-1B Litigation Rise
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Stephen Yale-Loehr was quoted by Univision in an article regarding a proposed rule that would make it harder for immigrants to receive certain public benefits. According to Steve, if the new rule takes effect, it “will dramatically...
Miller Mayer Success Story: O-1 Extraordinary Ability Petition Approved for Biotech CEO
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Rosanne Mayer successfully assisted a biotech company that specializes in peptide sales to obtain O-1A nonimmigrant classification for their new CEO, an experienced pharmaceutical executive. Our client is widely recognized by her...
9th and 4th Circuits Grant Government’s Motion on Public Charge Rule
On December 5, 2019, a three judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to grant the government’s motion for an administrative stay of the public charge rule injunction pending appeal. On December 9, 2019, a panel of the 4th Circuit Court of appeals...
Just When You Though It Was Safe to Get Back on Twitter
The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two documentary film organizations, asserting how dangerous it is to force individuals to reveal...
Regulatory Agendas Are Not Just Wish Lists Any Longer
The Trump administration recently published its semi-annual regulatory agenda. It is far reaching and comprehensive. Among other things, the proposals would: (1) re-define the term “specialty occupation” to dramatically narrow the types of occupations that qualify for...
