[Blogger’s Note: This post is submitted as a necessarily-lengthy formal comment to the November 20, 2015 draft guidance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, PM-602-0122, interpreting the phrase, “the same or [a] similar occupational classification” as used in the “increased job flexibility” provisions of Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) §§ 204(j) and 212(a)(5)(A)(iv). This
Immigration Howling, Hope, Hype and Hodgepodge: USCIS’s New L-1B Memo
Social 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
Immigration on a Clean Slate: Game-Changing Proposals on Visa Modernization
Terabytes of text have already been generated in the course of extolling or excoriating President Obama for his November 20 Executive Actions on Immigration. The prolific foaming of bloviating mouths has mostly been prompted by the promise of deferred action and work permits for undocumented immigrants under the DACA and DAPA programs. Surprisingly, however, his
Immigration Voices: “Gambling on Immigration at a Dangerous Intersection (Merry Christmas, Ninja Squirrel!)”
[Blogger’s Note: Today we have a dandy guest post from the ever insightful, prolific and droll, Nici Kersey. Don’t be put off by her introductory paragraphs. There’s an immigration gem awaiting — one that employers, and the lawyers who counsel them, will not want to miss.]
Gambling on Immigration at a Dangerous Intersection(Merry Christmas,
Immigration Voices: Coming out of the Shadows with the U Visa
[Blogger’s note; Probably the most gratifying element of practicing immigration law is watching clients flourish. Obtaining immigration benefits, especially lawful permanent residency, often unleashes a wave of innovation and creativity. Less often, it produces a humanitarian “pay it forward” moment. This is the story of today’s guest blogger, Protima Pandey. Many years ago, I
Worksite Harmony and the President’s Executive Actions: It’s All about Immigration Timing
“Politics at bottom is not all that complicated. It’s all about timing.”
Facing a recalcitrant House of Representatives controlled by Republicans, President Obama made an historic announcement on November 20th outlining an array of executive actions he would take to fix as much as he could of our broken immigration system.
Understandably, public
Tinker Bell’s Immigration Solution
[Blogger’s Note: In light of President Obama’s announcement of executive actions on immigration last Thursday, this post, first published on May 7, 2010, is worth a second read. I enjoyed the President’s address to the nation, especially his mention of Astrid Silva, the student carrying a three-degree university course-load. Still, he should have
Pants on Fire over Immigration
In the 1997 film, Liar Liar, Jim Carrey starred as Fletcher Reede, a scruples-free lawyer whose young son, Max, wishes that, for just one day, his dad would tell the truth. Max’s wish is granted. Fletcher flips from mendacity to veracity. He tries persistently to lie; his Silly-Putty® face contorts wildly, but he can
Immigration “Fire on the Ground” — What’s Next for the L-1B Visa?
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
Immigration Voices: Dr. No vs. the League of Extraordinary Aliens
[Blogger’s note: An anonymous immigration lawyer offers this lament on the woeful quality of adjudications at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For related wailing, see: “ ‘I Hate [Bleep]ing Immigration Law’ — Whenever I Get an Unjust Request for Evidence,” “End the Tyranny of Immigration Insubordination,” and “Immigration Indifference