CLIENT ALERT: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SETS NEW PREVAILING WAGE LEVELS FOR H-1B, H-1B1 and E3 Permanent Labor Certifications and LCAs

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October 8, 2020  On October 6, 2020, in a document titled “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States” the Department of Labor (the Department) announced its plans to amend the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) regulations governing the prevailing wages for H-1B, H-1B1 and E3 visas, specifically …

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CLIENT UPDATE: President Trump’s Work Visa Ban Partially Suspended by Federal Judge

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October 2, 2020 Dear Valued Clients: In June,  President Trump signed a proclamation suspending H-1B, H-2B, J and L visas effective until December 31, 2020, under the guise of curbing the rising unemployment rate amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A California federal judge in San Francisco has blocked the ban—but not its entirety. The block does …

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CLIENT ALERT: LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING – WHY THE UPDATED OCTOBER 2020 VISA BULLETIN PRIORITY DATES MAY NOT BE AS GOOD AS THEY APPEAR

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September 28, 2020 Dear Valued Clients:   Last week, the long-awaited October Visa Bulletin was released showing significant forward movement. Notably, the EB-3 “All Chargeability” category will become current for both Chart A, “Final Action Dates” and Chart B “Dates for Filing”. Additionally, EB-1, EB-2, preference categories for those born in India advanced significantly by at least 2 years under Chart B. The EB-3 preference category advances …

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Potential Use of a Writ of Mandamus for Form I-526, I-829 or I-924

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August 6, 2020 Dear Valued Clients, On July 22, 2020 United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (“USCIS”) posted its performance data on all USCIS Petitions and Applications for Quarter 2 of  Fiscal Year 2020. The data reveals that USCIS received only 21 Form I-526 petitions, approved 714 cases, and denied 190 cases between January 2020 …

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Client Alert: President Trump Rescinds Rule Regarding International Students and Online Learning

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July 15, 2020 Dear Valued Clients: On July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which operates under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), announced its plans to prohibit nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online from remaining in the United States and to halt U.S. Visas issued to students enrolled …

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Client Alert: International Students and Schools Accepting International Students

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Modifications to Temporary Exemptions for Non-immigrant Students Taking Online Courses During Fall 2020 Semester On July 6, 2020, The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications Monday to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to publish …

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Client Alert: President Trump Suspends H-1B, H-2B, J and L Visas

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June 23, 2020 RE: President Trump Suspends H-1B, H-2B, J and L Visas Dear Valued Clients: Yesterday,  President Trump signed a proclamation suspending certain work visas effective immediately to December 31, 2020.  However, its application will likely be less than would seemingly be the case for the following reasons: The proclamation applies to aliens outside …

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Client Alert: USCIS Rescinds H-1B Policy Memoranda and Provides New Guidelines favoring H-1B Petitioners

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June 19, 2020  CLIENT UPDATE: Major Victory for H-1B Petitioners and Beneficiaries – USCIS Rescinds H-1B Policy Memoranda and Provides New Guidelines favoring H-1B Petitioners Dear Valued Clients: Last month federal court decisions, Serenity Info Tech, Inc. v. Cuccinelli  and ITService Alliance Inc., v. Cissna ruled against the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) …

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Client Alert: 众议院司法委员会共和党人呼吁对中国涉嫌滥用EB-5签证计划进行审查

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作者：Paul Chen, Brandon Meyer and Sissi Zhou 2020年6月15日，众议院司法委员会的共和党人俄亥俄州议员吉姆·乔丹（Jim Jordan）和美国宾夕法尼亚州众议员盖伊·雷森塔勒（Guy Reschenthaler）联名写信给政府问责办公室（GAO）负责人吉恩·多达罗（Gene Dodaro）。他们呼吁对有争议的EB-5移民投资者签证计划进行审查-警告说中国共产党（CCP）可能正在滥用该计划让其成员进入美国。 信中说，美国人民正在这场全球性的大瘟疫中受苦，美国政府应该采取措施对中国实施制裁。为了响特朗普总统在2020年5月21日发表的讲话“保护美国人民，家园和生活方式”，吉姆·乔丹（Jim Jordan）和盖伊·雷森塔勒（Guy Reschenthaler）要求GAO对中国共产党有可能涉嫌滥用EB-5计划进行调查。 他们指出，EB-5计划颁布于1990年，尽管EB-5计划旨在刺激美国的资本投资和创造就业机会，但近几年来，很明显，中共可能正在滥用该计划，以使其成员获得美国永久居留权。在2012年至2018年期间，每年可获得的大约10,000份EB-5签证中，有近80％面向中国出生的投资者，而积压的大多数投资者也是中国人。即使现在中国投资人的排期时间已经超过了10年，但是他们还是愿意等待。 在冠状病毒大流行期间，特朗普采取了许多措施来限制美国的移民，包括禁止从中国游客入境。 今年4月，他签署了一项行政命令“暂时中止移民到美国”。但是，该命令包括了很多豁免的情况，EB-5计划也在豁免当中。自那时以来，一些共和党人已敦促特朗普终止其中一些豁免并加强措施。 有消息指出，特朗普政府正在计划出台更多措施来限制移民，EB-5计划可能会成为下一个目标。 信中还提到GAO在2016年曾对EB-5计划中的潜在欺诈行为进行过调查，但移民局并未审查该计划中的国家安全问题，移民局目前也无法基于国家安全风险因素撤销某地区投资人的申请。信中说：“随着国会重新评估我们与中国的关系，GAO再次审查EB-5计划的时机已经成熟。”两位议员要求GAO对以下四点进行调查并出具报告： 1. 美国公民及移民服务局（USCIS）对EB-5计划中发现欺诈行为的改进，以及中共为避免欺诈行为发现所做的努力； 2. 中共在多大程度上利用EB-5计划为其会员获得移民签证； 3. EB-5计划主管部门理论和实际操作之间的距离是否妨碍了USCIS在裁决EB-5申请时考虑国家安全问题；和 4. 来自中共或与中共相关的投资者EB-5投资的累计金额。 自从2019年11月21日EB-5计划涨价以来，整个EB-5行业已经面临了寒冬。此时共和党议员呼吁对该计划进行调查，对整个行业来说无疑是雪上加霜。中国EB-5投资人的申请也可能会面临移民局更严格的审核。 在这个特殊的时刻，Meyer Law Group愿意尽我们所能来帮助所有的中国移民解决他们在移民方面的问题。如果您有这方面的需求，或者对该文章有任何问题，欢迎随时联络我们。请留下您的联系方式，我们会尽快回复您。

Client Alert: Rumored Trump Executive Order

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June 17, 2020 RE: It All Starts With a Rumor… How Trump’s Rumored Executive Orders Could Eventually Backfire on Economic Revitalization   Dear Valued Clients: On April 22, 2020 the Trump Administration issued a proclamation suspending certain immigrant visas[1] under the guise of curbing the rising unemployment rate amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The proclamation announced …

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