Immigration

Bill would expand number of H-1B visas

02/01/2018

Legislation introduced in the Senate Jan. 25 would increase the number of H-1B visas issued annually to 85,000, plus allow as many as 110,000 more visas if there is employer demand.

Administration’s immigration wish list could affect employers

01/23/2018

The Trump administration has released a new report on the rulemaking efforts U.S. administrative agencies intend to pursue in the near- and long-term. The Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions contains items that, if enacted, could affect employers’ immigration programs.

New California law penalizes cooperating with ICE

01/23/2018

California law AB-450, which went into effect Jan. 1, makes it unlawful for employers to consent to give access to “any nonpublic area of a place of labor” to an immigration enforcement agent without a search warrant signed by a judge, or to give access to employee records without a subpoena or a search warrant.

Scam alert: Feds won’t request your I-9s via email

01/18/2018

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services say they’ll be ramping up workplace immigration and Form I-9 audits in 2018—but take note: Those audits won’t occur via email.

ICE warns: More workplace raids are coming

01/17/2018

The Department of Homeland Security made headlines Jan. 10 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents launched coordinated raids on 7-11 franchise convenience stores across the country. The acting head of ICE Homeland Security Investigations told the Associated Press the raids were “a harbinger of what’s to come.”

Should you redo I-9 after transgender name change?

12/20/2017

When transgender employees notify an employer of a name/identity change, HR should treat the situation like any other legal name change, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced last month.

Update: President’s travel ban, helping employees in need

11/15/2017

An update on the Trump administration’s travel ban as well as information on how employers can help employees experiencing financial crises.

ICE could quintuple worksite enforcement

10/31/2017

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will “significantly increase” the number of inspections in worksite operations, according to acting ICE Director Tom Homan.

Immigration update: End of DACA, start of ‘extreme vetting’

10/18/2017

Much has been happening with immigration policy since President Trump took office, and employers would do well to keep up. That’s especially true if any of your workers are in the United States on temporary work visas or if you plan to recruit immigrant workers in the near future.

$95 million penalty for undocumented workers

10/05/2017

The Department of Justice has extracted the largest-ever penalty from a company accused of employing ineligible workers. Asplundh Tree Service has paid $95 million for turning a blind eye to the hiring of individuals that executives knew lacked proper documentation.