Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers (ABIL) attorneys have published an article addressing possible immigration threats and opportunities for employers and employees in 2018. The article assesses the political landscape after a turbulent 2017 during which the Trump administration made a multitude of anti-immigration policy changes.
The country’s immigration system was targeted heavily in 2017 by President Trump and supporters who hold negative views on foreigners entering the country. Among other anti-immigration promises couched in national security terms, the President promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and force Mexico to pay for it. Arrests of non-criminal immigration violators arrests also spiked, totaling almost 32,000 in the first eight months of Trump’s term. According to ABIL attorneys, these threats will continue in 2018.
In the coming year employers and employees will have to navigate many new complexities in the immigration system. An overall animosity toward immigrants will also impact the administration’s decision-making. Attorneys have seen arbitrary and unpredictable denials, a 45% increase in requests for more information on H-1B petitions for skilled workers, and an overall increase in vetting of immigration applications. Two other major threats for 2018 include possible fundamental changes to the H-1B program and potential new requirements for F and M visas for students.
ABIL attorneys offer recommendations to navigate the threats in the article, accessible HERE.
