“America is back, the trans-Atlantic alliance is back.” – So declared President Biden on February 23, 2021.  Apparently, however, Antony J. Blinken, the newly installed U.S. Secretary of State (DOS), didn’t get the memo.  On March 2, 2021, he “rescinded the previous national interest determination regarding categories of travelers eligible for exceptions under Presidential

We’ve seen this movie before.

Scene 1: The President issues a proclamation in reliance on his authority to restrict the entry of certain noncitizens under Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) § 212(f) so long as he asserts that allowing them in would be “detrimental to the interests of the United States.”

Scene 2:

President Trump’s October 9, 2019 overtures landed as music to the ears of many grizzled immigration lawyers who persistently suffer battle fatigue from the culture of virtually never.  On that day the President released a double album, each with artfully penned liner notes:

As the Obama presidency nears its twilight, let me tell you about our leader’s eight-year, largely-disappointing record on immigration.

But first a bias alert:  I voted for the President twice; I like and respect him; and I marvel at how glib, cool, incisive, studious, and otherwise mostly big-hearted he’s been.  With favorability ratings nearing 60

DeadlineTwo hundred days ago President Obama stoked the hopes of immigration advocates with his announcement of wide-ranging executive actions to try — as far as his authority would carry him — to change America’s broken immigration system for the better.

Generating most of the media fanfare and Republican outrage were his plans to expand eligibility

Concept of cognitionSocial media flamed with expressions of outrage, relief and tepid optimism ever since President Obama announced on March 23, 2015 the release of long-awaited  policy guidance on a key temporary worker visa category:

Today, I’m pleased to announce a new action I’m also taking to make it easier for global companies who are present here

Since 2008 American employers have been burning mad about how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has gone from fairly reasonable to highly restrictive in its interpretation of the L-1B “specialized knowledge” visa category. This statutory visa category allows certain “intracompany transferees” to enter and work in the U.S. for a qualifying employer if  he

L-1 Petitioners Beware:

USCIS Confirms Plans to Expand FDNS Site Visit Program

By Maura K. Travers and Angelo A. Paparelli

History is about to repeat itself. Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS), a directorate of  United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is set to embark on another foray of surprise visits to Corporate America,

The dysfunctional immigration world continues to spin dangerously out of control. 

Do-nothing House Republicans (and five pusillanimous Democrats) commit political seppuku with the passage of the ENFORCE Act  — a going-nowhere bill which would authorize civil suits against the President to dissuade him from doing something to husband scarce prosecutorial resources and ameliorate the harsh

Frustrated woman.jpg[Bloggers Note:  Today’s guest column comes from noted Atlanta-based business immigration lawyer, Eileen M.G. Scofield, who addresses a subject covered often before on NationOfImmigrators, the business-critical L-1 Intracompany Transferee visa category. (See, e.g., “The L-1 Intracompany Transferee Visa Facing Attack — from All Branches of the Federal Government, Part I and Part II