News & Events

EIG’s Senior Attorney and Liberian native Jowanda Jones joins the podcast to explain the latest in the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act. She explains how one would qualify for the act that now allows a direct pathway to citizenship. In addition, we unravel Liberia's inseparable ...

In a document scheduled to be published on Thursday, January 9, USCIS has released additional details outlining how the FY2021 H-1B cap registration process will work. New information includes: Before the initial preregistration window opens on March 1, employers and their representatives may set up their ...

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 ...

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the January 2020 Visa Bulletin. Final Action Dates for all employment-based categories see little movement for the month of January. In Section F of the Visa Bulletin, the DOS predicts potential monthly movement for employment-based categories. For the EB-1 category, rapid forward ...

In this week's Immigration Nerds podcast, Saadia Khan, executive producer and host of the "Immigrantly" podcast joins us at our mic. Immigrantly is a weekly podcast that captures the honest and unfiltered accounts of first and second-generation immigrants in America. In today's episode, Saadia talks ...

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 ...

In a long term plan to simplify and streamline the application process for some employers, the Department of Homeland Security will propose amendments to the filing process for eligible employers who seek to hire certain employees. The amendment may authorize USCIS to pre-adjudicate certain petition requirements for ...

In this week's Immigration Nerds podcast we share the answers to some of the most commonly asked travel questions. As the holiday season picks up, and people are likely to be traveling near and far, please be sure to be up to date on the ...

As previously reported, on Friday, USCIS announced the successful completion of the electronic registration process pilot. The registration process will be put into practice for the next H-1B cap lottery, Spring 2020. To further explain what this new process entails and what to expect, EIG Managing Director ...

On Friday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the successful completion of the electronic registration process pilot. The registration process will be put into practice for the next H-1B cap lottery, Spring 2020. USCIS proposed the preregistration system as a way to "dramatically streamline processing ...

Today’s unprecedented access to a global workforce has increasingly led companies and employees to opt for temporary projects, often located remotely. In this "gig economy," employees enjoy the freedom of having autonomy over the direction of their careers, while employers can now find the exact ...

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 ...

In a bonus episode, the Immigration Nerds challenge fellow EIG'ers for a rousing Thanksgiving trivia. Join us to learn about the origins and history of some traditional Thanksgiving dishes, the countries they come from, and how they arrived on tables across the United States.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the December 2019 Visa Bulletin. Final Action Dates for all employment-based categories see little movement for the month of December. In Section E, the Department of State indicates that there has been a steadily increasing level of Employment-based demand for Adjustment of ...

In this week's Immigration Nerds podcast, we want to Josh Doherty, managing attorney for Ayuda, a non-profit, service provider that offers immigration and family law assistance, and social and language access support for low-income immigrants in the US. They specialize in services for “Dreamers,” survivors ...

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 ...

On Monday, November 18, it was announced that Ken Cuccinelli would no longer serve as the Acting Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a post which he has held for the last five months. At the time of publishing, according to the Department ...

The British-American Business Council Northern California (BABCSF), which fosters commerce, friendship, and economic growth between Northern California and the United Kingdom, has announced that Jerry Erickson, President and CEO of Erickson Immigration Group (EIG), a global immigration law firm, has been nominated to serve on the BABC SF's board ...

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court held an oral argument to deliberate over the White House’s plan to roll back Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The policy, first implemented by the Obama administration in August 2012, allows undocumented individuals who were brought to the ...

The Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to the Federal Register on Thursday, November 14. The DHS proposal increases fees for certain immigration and naturalization applications charged by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). According to the proposed rule, the increase is ...

This week, we're delighted to be joined at the mic by Laura Young, Salesforce Director of Global Mobility and Immigration. Ms. Young oversees all inbound and outbound immigration employment operations for Salesforce, including the US and global immigration program for the company. In this conversation, ...

Today, a three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled that a challenge to the H-4 EAD (Save Jobs USA v. DHS) does have grounds to be heard in court. In September 2016, a DC-based United States District Court judge, ...

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 ...