DOL Wages Revised Through Interim Final Rule on October 8, 2020

by Roujin Mozaffarimehr On October 7, 2020, the Department of Labor published an interim final rule (IFR) (85 FR 63918) that dramatically changes the calculation methodology of the prevailing wage for OES-based wage levels for all occupations. This new rule took effect immediately on October 8, 2020 and impacts wage rates for H-1Bs, H-1B1s, and…

Considerations for Legal Permanent Residents Outside of the US Due to COVID-19 Restrictions

By Radhika Balaji, Associate Attorney The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedent amount of uncertainty—several proclamations, travel restrictions, and government lock downs have prevented many from freely traveling back to the US. Unfortunately, amidst the pandemic, the USCIS has not provided relief to Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) of the US who are stuck out…

President Trump Signs Executive Order for Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices

By Radhika Balaji, Associate Attorney On August 3, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO 13940) on “Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices With the Interests of American Workers.”[1] This EO directs heads of federal agencies to review federal contracts and assess any negative impact on U.S. workers stemming from the use of…

USCIS and DOL Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Share Immigration Data

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr On Friday July 31st, The Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The MOA will allow the two departments to share immigrant and nonimmigrant petition records and data. This includes data within the Office of Foreign…

DOS PROVIDES ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON NATIONAL INTEREST EXCEPTION REQUIREMENTS FOR THOSE SUBJECT TO THE JUNE 22ND PROCLAMATION

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr As we reported back in June, on June 22, 2020, President Donald Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation suspending the entry of H-1B and H-2B visas and accompanying dependents, certain J visas, and L visas and accompanying dependents, and extending the April 2020 suspension on certain immigrants.  banning visa issuance through December 31, 2020. The…

DISTRICT COURT INJUNCTION ON PUBLIC CHARGE RULE LIMITED IN SCOPE—ONLY APPLIES TO NEW YORK, CONNECTICUT, AND VERMONT

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr On Wednesday August 12th, The United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an order limiting the scope of the nationwide injunction on the Public Charge rule that took effect earlier this year. Last month, we reported that the United States District Court, Southern District of New York issued two…

USCIS Offices Reopening – Updates – Q&A

USCIS Offices Reopening – Updates – Q&A By Radhika Balaji, Associate Attorney After Shelter-in Place Orders began being lifted across the country, USCIS began reopening its offices in the beginning of June. Since then, reopening of the USCIS ImmiCore Law has received several questions related to interview and biometrics appointments as well as case processing.…

USCIS Announces Final Rule to Be Published on Fee Increases

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr Today, USCIS announced that it plans to publish its final rule in the Federal Register on Monday, August 3rd, 2020 to increase fees across the board for immigration-related filings. A copy of the rule for public inspection can be found here. Notable changes include: I-90 Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (online…

District Court in New York Issues Injunctions on Public Charge Rule During COVID Pandemic

By Roujin Mozaffarimehr On July 29th, The United States District Court, Southern District of New York issued two decisions to temporarily enjoin the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State from implementing the recent Public Charge Rule that took effect earlier in February 2020.[1] Below, we discuss the recent changes to the Public…