On May 22, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new strategy, eProcessing, to accelerate USCIS's transition to a "digital business model." USCIS said eProcessing "will be a complete digital experience, from applying for a benefit, to...
Topic: Immigration Updates
Regulatory Agenda Includes Stripping Employment Eligibility From H-4 Spouses of H-1B Visa Holders, Other Actions
The Trump administration recently announced its spring 2019 regulatory agenda. On the list for the Department of Homeland Security are proposals (not final yet), among others, to: Revise the definition of "specialty occupation" to "increase focus on obtaining the best...
Webinar: Not Selected? H-1B Alternatives
Unable to secure a winning number in this year’s cap H-1B lottery? This webinar will help both employers and potential employees explore alternatives to the H-1B visa that provide work authorization in the United States. Miller Mayer’s experienced immigration...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted Regarding President’s Legal Immigration Reform Plan
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted in various publications regarding President Trump's legal immigration reform plan: Time.com: "It would be a big departure from our current system. Right now two-thirds of all immigrants who are admitted are...
Lawsuit Accuses USCIS of ‘Attack’ on IT Consulting
A new lawsuit, ITServe Alliance v. USCIS, argues that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is "trying to end the information technology consulting…business model." Among other things, plaintiffs note that until recently, USCIS adjudicated initial H-1B...
USCIS Completes Data Entry for FY 2020 H-1B Cap-Subject (Lottery) Petitions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has completed data entry for all fiscal year 2020 H-1B lottery petitions, including those under the U.S. advanced degree exemption. The agency will begin returning all unselected H-1B lottery...
Trump Proposes Merit-Based Immigration Plan
President Donald Trump proposed an immigration plan on May 16, 2019, that shifts the emphasis to a merit-based system to admit highly educated, high-skilled immigrants. In a speech announcing the proposal on May 16, 2019, President Trump said the biggest change would...
OFLC Approves CW-1 Program Survey From CNMI Governor
The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) recently received and approved a CW-1 wage survey from the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) covering 84 occupations. OFLC approved the governor's survey and...
President Trump Nominates Mark Morgan to Lead ICE
In a tweet, President Donald Trump named Mark Morgan to head U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): "I am pleased to inform all of those that believe in a strong, fair and sound Immigration Policy that Mark Morgan will be joining the Trump Administration as...
USCIS Names Mark Koumans as New Deputy Director
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on May 10, 2019, that Mark Koumans is the agency’s new Deputy Director, effective May 13. Mr. Koumans, a career federal employee, has served since September 2015 in a number of executive positions at U.S....
