Headlines: 1. OCAHO Reduces Employer’s Fines for I-9 Violations – The total penalty sought was $21,598.50, which was reduced to $9,450. 2. DOL Releases 2014 Allowable Charges for Agricultural Workers – The notice announces (1) the allowable charges for 2014 that employers seeking H-2A workers may charge their workers when the employer provides three meals a day, and (2) […]
Author Archives: ABIL
Headlines: 1. State Dept. Announces J-1 On-Site Inspections – DOS plans to conduct on-site inspections of J-1 internships and training programs. 2. State Dept. Predicts Visa Availability in the Coming Months; Visa Bulletin Moved – The Department of State’s Visa Office has estimated visa availability in the coming months. Also, DOS has reorganized its website, moving the Visa Bulletin. […]
Headlines: 1. Third Circuit Rules That H-2B Regulation on Minimum Wage Is Valid – Among other things, the court noted that the Department of Labor is not required to consider employer hardship but instead must balance the interests of ensuring an adequate labor force with protecting the jobs of U.S. workers. 2. DOL Administrative Review Board Partly Affirms […]
Headlines: 1. USCIS Expands Site Visits To Review of L-1 Petitions – The agency is reviewing extensions of L-1 petitions and L-1 job duties and salaries to determine whether they are consistent with the L-1’s classification. 2. H-1B Alert: Filing Starts April 1 for Next Fiscal Year – This past fiscal year, H-1B numbers were exhausted within the first […]
Prime Minister David Cameron has scrapped his proposal to institute an “emergency brake” on immigration from the EU to the United Kingdom (UK). In January, it was reported that German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her willingness to discuss curbing EU migrant access to benefits with the Prime Minister, but warned that Germany was prepared to […]
Laws and regulations relevant to business immigration were amended on a wide scale on January 1, 2014. Most of the new changes improve options to deploy foreign staff in the Netherlands, such as the introduction of short-stay highly skilled migrant (HSM) permits. Some changes, however, are restrictive, such as the increase of the term for […]
The Italian government has extended until December 31, 2014 (previous deadline was August 20, 2014) the deadline for filing quota applications for workers trained abroad and for conversion of CE permits issued by other EU countries into subordinate or autonomous work permits.
The Italian government has released new guidelines for the activation of internship programs for foreign nationals. The guidelines provide Immigration Offices and the Italian Regions with instructions clarifying the criteria to be met by non-European Union nationals coming to Italy for internships. This is not expected to have a major impact on immigration in Italy […]
Headlines: 1. Is Immigration Reform Possible in 2014? – House Speaker John Boehner hopes to push immigration reform legislation forward in 2014, a year in which midterm elections will take place in November. 2. Visa Bulletin Shows Advancement in Several Categories – The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for February 2014 shows advancement in priority dates for several employment-based […]
Additional conditions concerning salary payment will take effect January 1, 2014, for the highly skilled migrant residence permit. The main condition to meet the gross annual salary threshold is changed to a monthly salary threshold. The highly skilled migrant must receive the applicable amount (excluding 8% holiday pay, which can still be paid annually) monthly […]