Category: EIG Dispatch

Singapore | As the Coronavirus epidemic continues to affect people traveling around the world, the Singaporean Ministry of Health (MHO) have passed on their recommendations for all travelers to abandon all travel plans to Hubei province China and also to only travel to mainland China ...

Beginning on February 24, 2020, prospective H-1B CAP petitioners and their legal representatives (“petitioners”) may begin creating H-1B registrant accounts on the online USCIS website. Subsequently, between 12:00 PM (EST) of March 01, 2020, and March 20, 2020, petitioners may create and complete H-1B registrations ...

On January 27, 2020, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court temporarily upheld the Trump Administration's "Inadmissibility on Public Charge'' rule. The high court's conservative majority will allow the rule to go into effect pending the appellate process in the lower courts. Under the rule, ...

On January 31, 2020, USCIS released the new version of Form I-9, used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. The specific changes to the form can be found on the government website, and the form itself is ...

As of January 2020, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore has raised penalties for workplace discrimination cases. These measures are part of a plan to strengthen the Fair Consideration Framework, especially with the aim to give equal and fair consideration to local workers by ...

On Friday, January 17, over one hundred technology companies jointly filed an Amicus Brief challenging the Trump administration's "public charge" rule. These companies joined a nationwide lawsuit to assert that the proposed policy would adversely affect U.S. employers. The brief argues that the proposed rule will: Discourage ...

On Wednesday, January 15, U.S. District Judge Peter Messite issued a preliminary injunction against President Trump’s latest executive order, which allows state and local officials to deny the resettlement of refugees in their communities. Trump argued this executive order was put in place due to ...

Foreign nationals with a recognized university degree are eligible to work in Germany under the European Union (EU) Blue Card system. The minimum salary for EU Blue Cards has increased. Effective January 1, 2020, Blue Card holders in Germany must be paid an annual salary ...

For applications that require a labor market test, the position must now be advertised for 28 days before the application can be submitted. (The previous rule required only 14 days.) The advertising requirement reflects the government’s policy that an employment opportunity should be offered to ...

For certain immigration benefits, including naturalization, a good moral character must be proven. On December 13, USCIS announced updates to its policy manual on good moral character determinations. The updated guidance includes implementation of recent case law regarding applicants with two or more DUI convictions.

USCIS has announced that its new electronic registration has completed pilot testing and will be used for the upcoming 2021 H-1B Cap Season. In this new process, from March 1 – March 20, 2020, employers or their representatives must first register with basic information about the company and ...

On December 6, 2019, the Switzerland Federal Council adopted the Free Movement of Persons Agreement (FZA). This agreement allows Swiss Nationals residing in the United Kingdom and British nationals in Switzerland to retain their current rights once Brexit is finalized. This agreement has now been submitted to ...

Preliminary injunctions issued by federal judges in California and Washington against the “public charge” policy were stayed on Thursday by a divided three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The majority on the panel argued that the Trump administration has the legal authority ...

South Korea has revised its E-7 visa policy regarding foreign nationals in the parts, materials, and equipment industries. Applicants will be able to apply online rather than having to apply at an overseas consulate. This will cut down visa processing times from an estimated one ...

USCIS released guidance on November 21, 2019, which clarifies when the Service may adjust the status of an alien whose Conditional Permanent Resident (CPR) status has been terminated. This guidance applies to the adjustment of status applications filed with USCIS after November 21, 2019. A ...

As previously reported, on July 17, 2019, the Irish High Court ruled that a person applying to become a naturalized Irish citizen must have one year of “unbroken” residence in Ireland immediately before filing the naturalization application. The High Court interpreted the “continuous residence” requirement of the Irish Nationality and ...

Starting November 11, 2019, Poland was officially included in the Visa Waiver Program. It is a comprehensive program designed to encourage and strengthen tourism and business exchanges between the United States and designated countries while increasing security. Polish citizens can now travel to the United States ...

On November 14, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule modifying eligibility for employment authorization based on a pending asylum claim. USCIS’s proposal includes excluding from eligibility for employment authorization: Aliens who entered or attempted to enter the United States unlawfully without good ...

The EU Council in Brussels, consisting of 27 EU ambassadors, has agreed to the UK Government’s request to remain in the EU until January 31, 2020. This is the third extension the EU has granted the UK. Under the agreement, EU nationals will continue to have free ...

USCIS now offers select applicants the option to file an I-539 extension application online to facilitate processing queue. The eligible applicant must be filing for an extension of an existing status and must file individually (without co-applicants). Individuals may complete the I-539 form online to extend status ...

On October 30, 2019 USCIS announced that the Premium Processing fee charged by the service for expedited processing of certain applications for immigration benefits will increase from $1,410.00 to $1,440.00 beginning December 2, 2019. Premium Processing is an optional service that allows petitioners or employees to request the 15-day ...

On October 17, 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) reached a Brexit deal. The Withdrawal Agreement was officially published on October 21, 2019.  The UK Parliament began to debate the Withdrawal Agreement today (October 22nd) and has already voted against the Prime Minister's rapid ...

On October 15, CEOs and Deans from the top business schools in the country wrote a letter addressed to the President and members of Congress, asking them to reform the U.S. Immigration system to meet the country’s need for highly skilled employees in the STEM field. The ...

On October 7, 2019, New Zealand implemented significant changes to the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa Program. For all new applications received after this date, the minimum salary needed for the Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa will increase from NZD $55,000 to NZD $79,560 per year, reflecting ...

The UK government has opened up a new type of Post-Study Work Visa to international students in hopes of recruiting and retaining successful global talent into the country. International students who have a valid immigration status and have completed a course of study at an undergraduate level ...

In a letter to a U.S. Court of Appeals on September 16, the Department of Homeland Security indicated that the earliest possible publication date for a proposed rule to rescind H-4 employment authorization would be in Spring 2020. Until such a time that a new rule goes ...

On September 20, the Trump administration came to an asylum cooperation agreement with El Salvador, designed to deter migrants from seeking asylum in the United States. The agreement states that any migrants that pass through El Salvador seeking asylum must apply for protection in that country first ...

The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (“The Department”) has begun its annual review of the Skilled Migration Occupation Lists. The Department will meet with interested stakeholders, industries, and groups in Australia to learn about local labor markets and skill shortages. The ‘Traffic Light Bulletin’ ...

On September 4, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposal to collect social media user identifications in order to “assess an alien’s eligibility to travel to or be admitted to the United States or to receive an immigration-related benefit from DHS.” This change would ...

Beginning on November 1, 2019, non-resident foreign nationals wishing to join their Irish partners in Ireland for a period longer than 3 months, must apply for immigration preclearance before traveling to Ireland. Officials have emphasized that in-country applications will not be accepted. Officials have also announced ...