Annually, the United States government issues a maximum of 55,000 green cards through a computer-generated random lottery drawing. Applications for the DV 2010 random lottery will be accepted October 2, 2008 through December 1, 2008. Paper entries will not be accepted, eligible participants may access the electronic Diversity Visa entry…
The United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ombudsman issued a press release informing the public about the status of FBI name checks and the projected processing times for applicants filing for Naturalization . The Ombudsman is an independent office of DHS which…
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently upheld the final determination of a Certifying Officer (CO) denying labor certification (LC) for an alien worker for the position of “Chinese Specialty Cook.” In the aforementioned case, the employer filed a LC on behalf of an alien worker. The significant…
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently affirmed the PERM filing date and vacated the Certifying Officer’s (CO) denial of the application. The employer, an independent school district filed a pre-PERM ETA form 750A application for permanent alien labor certification on October 24, 2004 for the position of…
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently upheld the final determination of a Certifying Office (CO) denying labor certification (LC) for an alien worker for the position of “Home Health Aide.” In the aforementioned case, the employer, a private household filed a LC on behalf of an alien…
In light of the Fragomen audit, the Department of Labor (DOL) has recently issued many documents on the topic of attorney/agent consideration of U.S. workers under the permanent labor certification program . Attorneys/agents and foreign workers do not have a designated role in the PERM recruitment process. It is the…
Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have increasingly been conducting workplace raids that can have a significant impact on an employer and its workers. In a news release issued by ICE, seven companies have been notified that they will be considered for debarment from federal contracting because each of the companies…
Every year, thousands of U.S. citizens petition the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to allow their foreign fiancé to come to the United States under a K-1 visa . Under a K-1 visa, the foreign national must marry the petitioner within 90 days of arriving in the United States,…
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently completed a multi-year redesign of the naturalization test. The major goal of the redesign process is to ensure that naturalization applicants have uniform, consistent testing experiences nationwide, and to provide a fair and meaningful naturalization process. The USCIS believes that the…
In a Leadership Journal entry issued by the Acting Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), several rule changes to the H-2B program were proposed. Little about the program has changed to accommodate employers’ needs or improvement in worker protections. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing…