Five Things Employers Should Consider When Conducting an I-9 Self-Audit

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

The year 2009 marked a dramatic change in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”) workforce enforcement strategy. Up until 2008, ICE focused its enforcement efforts almost exclusively on illegal workers. For instance, ICE made 6,000 workforce enforcement strategy-related arrests in 2008; only 135 of them involved employers. Starting in 2009, however, ICE shifted its focus from illegal workers to employers who knowingly hired unauthorized workers. As part of its strategy of targeting employers, ICE began setting up centers around the country that are fully dedicated to I-9 audit work. Continue reading “Five Things Employers Should Consider When Conducting an I-9 Self-Audit”

Form I-9 Verification Process Update

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

The following important highlights resulted from the November meeting between the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee, USCIS’s Verification Division, and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations: Continue reading “Form I-9 Verification Process Update”

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP’s Immigration Team Wishes our Clients and Colleagues a Wonderful Holiday Season

Maria del Carmen Ramos
Maria del Carmen Ramos

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP’s Immigration Team thanks our clients, colleagues, friends, and family for helping us make this a successful year. Continue reading “Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP’s Immigration Team Wishes our Clients and Colleagues a Wonderful Holiday Season”

EB-5 Public Engagement Update

Maria del Carmen Ramos
Maria del Carmen Ramos

On December 5, 2014, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) held a stakeholder conference call to update individuals interested in the Immigrant Investor Program (commonly referred to as the EB-5 Program). Continue reading “EB-5 Public Engagement Update”

USCIS Updates Its List of 68 Countries Eligible to Participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

On December 16, 2014, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), in consultation with Department of State, added five new countries to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa programs for the coming year beginning January 18, 2015. Continue reading “USCIS Updates Its List of 68 Countries Eligible to Participate in the H-2A and H-2B Visa Programs”

Changes to the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program Are Announced

Maria del Carmen Ramos
Maria del Carmen Ramos

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced changes to the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) Program. Currently, no form or fee is required for the CFRP Program.  This will no longer be the case. Continue reading “Changes to the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program Are Announced”

EB-5: A Creative Financing Option for U.S. Developers and Businesses

Maria del Carmen Ramos
Maria del Carmen Ramos

In recent years, as raising capital has become more difficult for developers and the waiting time for green cards has increased for immigrants from certain countries, the popularity of the EB-5 Regional Center Program (also known as the Investor Pilot Program) has skyrocketed. On the one hand, that is great news for developers and investors alike. On the other hand, the parties have to be careful to make sure the prospective investment in the developer’s project is structured in a way that complies with the Pilot Program’s requirements and makes it enticing to foreign investors. Continue reading “EB-5: A Creative Financing Option for U.S. Developers and Businesses”

U.S. & China Extend Visas for Business Travelers, Tourists, and Students

Mechelle Zarou
Mechelle Zarou

As a reminder, following a meeting with President Xi Jinping from the People’s Republic of China to discuss U.S. and China foreign relations in November of this year, President Obama announced changes to certain visas issued to Chinese nationals in accordance with a new reciprocal arrangement. Continue reading “U.S. & China Extend Visas for Business Travelers, Tourists, and Students”

How to Respond When ICE Offers to Help

Maria del Carmen Ramos
Maria del Carmen Ramos

When someone approaches you in a friendly manner, you want to oblige. When someone smiles, your natural inclination is to smile back. So it’s no wonder that an employer may not understand the danger posed when a friendly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) auditor shows up at the workplace to help the employer understand its recordkeeping obligations and ensure the employer is doing its paperwork properly, even promising to do so in a timely manner so as not to disrupt the employer’s business. Continue reading “How to Respond When ICE Offers to Help”