Keeping you informed on the latest immigration news.
DHS, DOJ Issue Final Rule Tightening Asylum Regulations
On December 11, 2020, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) issued a final rule tightening the regulations governing asylum, withholding of removal, and protections under the Convention Against Torture. Despite more than 87,000 mostly negative...
Miller Mayer Receives National Interest Waiver Approval for Neuroscientist
Miller Mayer successfully obtained an immigrant visa petition approval in the national interest waiver green card category for a neuroscientist from Israel. The national interest waiver is an attractive option given the relatively short wait for a green card compared...
Post-Denial Strategies: How to Get from “No” to “Yes”
By Diane M. Butler, Leslie K. Dellon, David Isaacson, and Stephen Yale-Loehr Diane M. Butler is a partner at Davis Wright Tremaine in Seattle, where she focuses on business immigration. Before law school, she graduated from the University of Wyoming, worked on Capitol...
Miller Mayer Secures EB-5 Immigrant Investor Petition Approval for a Chinese Client After Nearly 5 Years
After a successful mandamus court filing and a timely filed response to a request for additional evidence from USCIS, Miller Mayer secured an EB-5 I-526 petition approval for a Chinese client after a nearly 5-year wait. With this I-526 approval in hand our client can...
Miller Mayer’s Steve Yale-Loehr Quoted re DACA, H-1B, Deportation Procedures, Public Charge
Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by the New York Times in " 'They're Playing With Our Lives': What Happens Next for DACA's 'Dreamers.' " He said, "DACA recipients cannot feel safe yet, for a variety of reasons. The only true solution for...
Justice Dept. Sues Facebook for Discriminating Against U.S. Workers
The Department of Justice announced on December 3, 2020, that it filed a lawsuit against Facebook for discriminating against U.S. workers. The lawsuit alleges that Facebook refused to recruit, consider, or hire qualified and available U.S. workers for more than 2,600...
USCIS Updates Guidance for Schedule A Occupations
On December 2, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced updated guidance for adjudicating EB-2 and EB-3 Schedule A petitions for registered nurses, physical therapists, and immigrants who have exceptional ability. USCIS said the update does...
State Dept. Imposes New Restrictions on Chinese Communist Party Members
As part of a continued chilling of relations between the United States and China, on December 4, 2020, the Department of State announced several new visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party members and their family members, including: New rules limiting the...
Senate-Passed Bill Would Remove Per-Country Limits on All Employment-Based Immigrant Visa Categories; Includes Controversial Provisions
On December 2, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed its version of H.R. 1044, the "Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2020." The Senate version of the bill now returns to the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed its version of the bill over a year ago. If the...
U.S. District Court Orders DHS to Reopen DACA for New Applications
On December 4, 2020, a U.S. district court vacated a July memorandum issued by Chad Wolf that made certain changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and ordered DHS to reopen the program to new applications. The court found that Chad Wolf...
