Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re Employment-based Green Cards, New Court Decision, STEM PhDs
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr co-authored a new report published by the Brookings Institution, "4 Ways the Biden Administration Can Improve the Employment-Based Immigration System Without Congress." The article focuses on structural changes to...
H-1B Denial Rates for FY 2020 Decline
The National Foundation for American Policy has released a policy brief, "H-1B Denial Rates for FY 2020 and the Impact of Court Decisions." Among other things, the policy brief states that the Trump administration "managed to carry out what judges determined to be...
Brookings Institution Issues Report on How the Biden administration can improve the employment-based immigration system without Congress
In a broad review of immigration policy proposals, a new report from the Brookings Institution identifies four areas for improvement for the Biden administration: removing impediments to immigration, improving the predictability of the immigration system, resuming the...
ICE Cancels Plans for OPT Employment Compliance Unit
According to reports, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) canceled plans for a new Optional Practical Training (OPT) Employment Compliance Unit. The agency determined that SEVP already addressed many of the same...
Biden Administration Withdraws Proposed H-4 EAD Rescission Rule From OMB Review
The Biden administration withdrew a proposed rule to rescind the H-4 employment authorization document (EAD) program from review by the Office of Management and Budget. This means that about 100,000 H-4 EAD holders (spouses of H-1B workers who are mostly women from...
TPS for Syria Extended, Redesignated
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an 18-month extension and redesignation of temporary protected status (TPS) for Syrians. This enables more than 6,700 eligible Syrian nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Syria) to...
President Biden Issues Executive Order Revoking Trump “Buy American and Hire American” Executive Order
On January 25, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order, "Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America's Workers." The order states that the federal government should "maximize the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and...
President Biden Names Jean King as New Acting Director of EOIR
According to reports, effective January 31, 2021, Jean King is the new Acting Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). She is a former general counsel for EOIR and most recently served as EOIR's chief administrative law judge. Ms. King replaces...
USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 28, 2021, that it is extending the flexibilities it initially announced on March 30, 2020, to assist applicants, petitioners, and requestors responding to certain agency requests. Included are...
Judge Rules STEM OPT Program Lawful
On January 28, 2021, a U.S. district court judge issued a summary judgment order finding that the STEM OPT (Optional Practical Training for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students) program is a valid exercise of authority under the Immigration and...
