DHS Changes the H-1B Visa Cap Selection Process
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In one of the final acts of the Trump Administration’s hardline anti-immigration policies prior to his departure on January 20, 2021, the Trump-led Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule that upends the traditional selection system for the H-1B visa in favor of highly paid workers, at the expense […]
EOIR Final Rule Drastically Increasing EOIR Filing Fees and How That May Impact Asylum Seekers, Undocumented Children and Other Vulnerable Groups
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri On January 19, 2021, a Final Rule issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review EOIR will become effective that will “increase the fees for those EOIR applications, appeals, and motions that are subject to an EOIR-determined fee, based on a fee review conducted by the EOIR.”[1] These fee increases […]
Trump Extends April and June Visa Bans to March 31, 2021
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on December 31 of 2020, extending the bans on certain immigrant and non-immigrant visas that were previously banned as per his proclamations on April 22 and June 22 of 2020, respectively.[1] Although these orders were supposed to expire on December 31 of 2020 itself, […]
ACLU Sues DHS, et al., Over Cellphone Tracking of Immigrants
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri A recent source of controversy in the Trump Administration’s typically hardline approach to illegal immigration concerns the surveillance of social media by Homeland Security Investigations to tracking down immigrant activity, violations, and the First-Amendment-protected expression disapproved of by authorities that lead to detention and deportation.[1] Recently, this has entailed […]
U.S. Senate Passes the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act (S.386)
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri EB-5 and other professional green card applicants can finally breathe a sigh of relief while going through the immigration application process. Last week, on December 2, 2020, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed bill S.386, known as the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act.[1] If approved by the President (whoever that […]
Corporate Transparency Act
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri The creation of anonymous shell corporate structures for illicit purposes such as money laundering, the sale of pirated and counterfeit goods, human trafficking, and the drug trade has been a source of great concern for the U.S. government.[1] These corporate structures are used to hide stolen assets and are without […]
Trump administration intends to end use of in-person interpreters at certain immigration hearings
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri At one time, the famous words associated with the Statue of Liberty – “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” – truly exemplified the attitude of the US government toward immigration. However, under the Trump administration, these words would appear to describe the immigration […]
Obama-era DACA Program Reinstated by New York Federal Court Order in Vidal v. Wolf
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In what counts as a severe blow to the Trump administration’s revamped immigration system in its final month, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an order to reinstate the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program DACA to its pre-Trump administration status.[1] […]
District Court for the Northern District of California Strikes Down H-1B Regulations for Violating APA
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri As noted before on this blog site, on October 8, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security issued an interim final rule that was meant to revamp the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa program.[1] Called Strengthening the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program, this interim final rule changed the definition requirements for “specialty occupations,” […]
Department of Justice Prepones Deadlines for Filing Stays on Deportation, Potentially Disrupting Attempts of Migrant Children to Stay Legally in the Country
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In what came as a shock to immigration attorneys and clients applying to stay in the US and halt deportation proceedings, the Department of Justice imposed new deadlines for migrant children that critics say have left attorneys and clients in a mess.[1] Last week on November 24, 2020, the Justice […]