Employers have until Aug. 30, 2023, to perform physical examination of identity and employment eligibility documents for those individuals hired on or after March 20, 2020, and who have only received a virtual or remote examination under the flexibilities.
Starting on November 8, 2021, non-citizen, non-immigrant air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the U.S., with only limited exceptions.
On October 1, 2020, a California federal judge issued a ruling overturning the June 24, 2020 Executive Order blocking the issuance of new nonimmigrant employment visas. The judge ruled that President Donald Trump likely overstepped his authority when he issued the Executive Order under coronavirus-related restrictions. This is great news for foreign workers who work for U.S. employers in H-1B, L-1 and J-1 status. It relieves one obstacle to their ability to leave the U.S. and travel overseas.
On April 22, 2020, President Trump signed a proclamation refusing entry to foreign nationals seeking to enter the U.S. as immigrants after 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 23, 2020. The ban lasts for an initial period of 60 days. Given the fact that all U.S. Embassies and Consulates are not currently open to the public for visa interviews, it is difficult to imagine that this proclamation has any real immediate effect. Anyone who could get an immigrant visa has already gotten an immigrant visa. Therefore, this proclamation essentially extends the status quo for at least 60 days.
There is much uncertainty surrounding the announcement by President Donald Trump that he will sign an executive order temporarily suspending all U.S. immigration in light of the coronavirus pandemic. As the president has not signed the executive order, all information available is speculation.
It’s hard to believe, but it has almost been 30 days since the country first began sheltering in place. Unfortunately, there are a few H-1B / E-3 posting requirements that are triggered when employees are moved to locations not listed as work sites on their H-1B / E-3 applications.
This blog post is intended to provide a source of COVID-19 information provided by agencies and organizations. International travel issues and impediments are arising rapidly. These resources are updated internally by the hosts and reflect the most recent and reliable information available to the public.
On April 1, 2020, USCIS announced the opening of the 90 day window for filing H-1B cap petitions. Registrants selected in the Pre-Registration lottery may now file full petitions. This announcement was met with discouragement by many immigration attorneys whose registrations were erroneously denied as “duplicate” registrations.
In time of economic downturn, employers with H-1B workers in their workforce are placed in a difficult position. To weather the economic storm, employers may need to cut hours or temporarily furlough workers. Many workers would prefer to accept lower wages to retain employment benefits, such as health insurance. Unfortunately, costly H-1B Department of Labor (DOL) wage regulations require that the employer continue H-1B workers’ work schedules and payment of wages as set forth in the original H-1B petition.
This note regards our preparations in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Inhabitants of six counties of the San Francisco Bay Area were instructed at 1pm on Monday 16 March to remain at home and “Shelter in Place” through Tuesday 7 April. We are taking appropriate steps to ensure the safety of our staff and our clients. The situation is fluid, and current exceptions permit us to provide essential services from our office and to facilitate the activities of our remote workers. We plan to meet all deadlines.
