On October 1, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extended the Temporary Protected Status designation for Haiti for a period of eighteen (18) months, until July 22, 2014. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries because the country has experienced temporary negative conditions, such as … Continue Reading
The current version of Form I-9, used to verify the identity and work authorization of new employers, will expire on August 31, 2012. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has advised that employers should continue to use the current Form I-9 even after the OMB control number expiration date of August 31, 2102 has … Continue Reading
On January 11, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice in the Federal Register extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain El Salvadoran nationals in the United States. Currently, TPS status for qualifying El Salvadoran nationals expires on March 9, 2012. With the extension, Temporary Protected Status for eligible El Salvadoran … Continue Reading
On November 4, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extended the Temporary Protected Status designation for Honduras and Nicaragua for a period of eighteen (18) months, until July 5, 2013. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries because the country has experienced temporary negative conditions, … Continue Reading
On October 25, 2011, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has launched a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with enhanced features to strengthen security and deter fraud. The goal of the new EAD is to deter counterfeiting, obstruct tampering, and facilitate quick and accurate authentication of the EAD. USCIS began issuing … Continue Reading
The Department of State recently announced that it will begin accepting electronically submitted applications for the 2013 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery between noon, Eastern Daylight Time on October 4, 2011, and noon, Eastern Daylight Time on November 5, 2011. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program provides 50,000 visas each year to nationals of countries that have … Continue Reading
A recent decision from a federal court in Tennessee affirmed an administrative decision awarding more than $1 million in back pay to H-1B physician employees of several clinics owned by Mohan Kutty. The decision is Kutty v. Department of Labor. Kutty is a physician who operated clinics in Tennessee and Florida. He hired several foreign … Continue Reading
On his first day in office as Florida’s governor, Rick Scott signed Executive Order 11-02, mandating that state agencies under the direction of the governor to use the federal government’s E-Verify system to verify the work authorization and identity of all current employees and new hires. The Executive Order also required that all agencies under … Continue Reading
Tennessee and Alabama joined the growing list of states requiring certain employers within the state to use E-Verify when hiring new workers. The Alabama law broad implications for individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. Below, we will highlight the aspects of the statutes that impact employers doing business in Tennessee and … Continue Reading
For the second time this year, the USCIS has published an updated version of its Form I-9 Handbook for Employers. The most recent version of the Handbook can be accessed through the USCIS’s I-9 Central HERE (Click on the picture of the I-9 Handbook for employers in the right hand column). Earlier in June, the … Continue Reading
