Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
OFLC Reminds Employers That H-2B Filing Window Starts January 1
The Department of Labor's Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) reminded employers and other stakeholders that the filing window for employers of H-2B workers opens on January 1, 2022, to submit Form ETA-9142B, Application for Temporary Employment...
For First Time, DHS to Supplement H-2B Cap With Additional Visas in First Half of Fiscal Year
The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Labor (DOL) announced on December 20, 2021, the forthcoming publication of a joint temporary final rule to make available an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas for fiscal year (FY) 2022. These...
Restrictions on Travelers From Southern African Countries To Be Lifted December 31
Kevin Munoz, White House Assistant Press Secretary, tweeted on December 24, 2021, that temporary travel restrictions the Biden administration imposed in November on foreign travelers from South Africa and seven other countries in the region, due to the spread of the...
State Dept. Expands Waivers of In-Person Interviews for Certain Temporary Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants
The Secretary of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, has authorized consular officers to waive the in-person interview requirement for certain temporary employment nonimmigrant visa applicants who have a petition approved by U.S....
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Immigration Legislation, U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by Univision in "Rejection of 'Plan C' Complicates Immigration Reform in Congress: What Path Could Democrats Take Now?" Mr. Yale-Loehr noted that the budget bill passed by the House of Representatives...
Miller Mayer Receives Green Card Approval for Spouse of U.S. Citizen
Permanent resident (“green card”) applications are filed for either employment-based categories or family-based categories. Miller Mayer has decades of experience with both and we proudly represent families in their immigration journeys. Miller Mayer immigration...
Justice Dept. Adjusts Certain Immigration-Related Penalties on Employers
The Department of Justice has adjusted for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed after December 13, 2021, for violations occurring after November 2, 2015. The adjustments made by the final rule are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price...
Smuggling, Forced Labor Ring Busted in Indictment
Two dozen defendants were indicted on federal conspiracy charges after a transnational, multi-year investigation into an alleged human smuggling and labor trafficking operation that illegally imported agricultural workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras,...
State Dept. Changes DV-2022 Document Submission Processing Requirements
The Department of State (DOS) announced that as of December 9, 2021, individuals who were randomly selected to participate in the diversity visa (DV) program for fiscal year (FY) 2022 only need to submit to the Kentucky Consular Center (KCC) the DS-260 immigrant visa...
USCIS Releases Fourth-Quarter Data Showing Persistent Backlogs, Some Progress
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released fourth-quarter fiscal year (FY) 2021 reports offering a snapshot of statistics for the entire fiscal year. The agency noted: Employment-based adjustments: USCIS said it faced an unprecedented challenge of...
