H1B Visa Lawyer BlogEven though the District of Columbia legalized same sex marriage earlier this year, the federal government doesn’t recognize the marriages and therefore same sex couples do not receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples. Erwin de Leon and Rev. John Beddingfield are just one of the many couples in the District who experience limitations. Leon is an immigrant from the Philippines on a student visa that expires next year and because he and Beddingfield do not receive the same immigration benefits as heterosexual couples, he can not apply to become a U.S. citizen. According to a census taken by the UCLA’s Williams Institute, there are an “estimated 25,000 same sex couples in the US that [have] one partner [that] is foreign born.” The introduction of Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Menendez (D-RI) Comprehensive Reform Act of 2010 may be the immigration reform needed because it encompasses the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) which would grant citizenship to same-sex couples.
Articles Posted in Immigration News
BALCA Vacates Denial of Labor Certification – NOF posted on Saturday & Sunday
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) recently vacated and remanded the final determination of a Certifying Officer (CO) denying labor certification (LC) for an alien worker for the position of “Chefs and Head Cooks.”
The CO originally denied certification on May 5, 2008 because the sponsorship of the immigrant worker could not be verified by the Employer. On June 2, 2008, reconsideration was requested by the Employer due to the fact that the immigrant worker’s contact individual had recently stopped working for the restaurant. An Audit Notification was filed by the CO on December 23, 2009 requesting the Employer to provide its Notice of Filing and recruitment documents as well as present evidence to justify the foreign language requirement. Certification was denied by the CO on February 9, 2010 on the grounds that the Notice of Filing was “posted for fewer than 10 consecutive business days.” The Employer submitted another request for reconsideration, citing that the restaurant is in fact open seven days a week, making the dates supplied (May 14, 2007 to May 24, 2007) sufficient enough for a Notice of Filing posting requirement. Even though the Employer gave evidence that Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest days at the restaurant and that there is a need for employees on those days, the CO still denied labor certification stating business days are only defined by Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays and weekends.
PERM regulations 20 C.F.R. § 656.10(d) controls and its provides the posting of a Notice of Filing by an Employer must be posted “for at least 10 consecutive business days” but does not specify what determines a business day. The CO denied certification based on the fact the Notice of Filing was not posted for at least 10 business days but the Employer provided evidence that the restaurant operated on Saturdays and Sundays, therefore requesting weekends be considered business days. BALCA disagreed with the CO saying business days are not confined to Monday through Friday. The Employers requirement was fulfilled because the Notice of Filing was posted for 10 consecutive days when “employees [were] on the worksite.” BALCA is giving the Employer another opportunity to demonstrate its Notice of Filing requirement due to the fact that the restaurant is open on the weekends.
ACLU Lawsuit – Mistreatment of Foreign Workers by California Company
A Fullerton Company in California previously discovered for hiring illegal workers is now being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for treating mistreating those employees. The workers suffered many injuries due to the manufacturing equipment and they claimed the company denied them their overtime/vacation/sick pay, as well as humiliated them. The workers at Fullerton were too afraid to report any of the abuse at the company for fear of being deported and losing their jobs which they needed to pay off medical bills.
Currently the Department of Labor is investigating this case and an agreement has yet to be reached.
MVP LAW GROUP – Immigration Q&A Forum, Friday, November 5th, 2010
MVP Law Group, P.A. makes available the information and materials in this forum for informational purposes only. The information is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice or any contractual obligations. Further, the use of this site, and the sending or receipt of this information, does not create an attorney-client relationship between us. And, therefore, your communication with us through this forum will not be considered as privileged or confidential.
Question #1 – Temporary Work Visa – H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa
Is the H-1B quota still open?
USCIS Redesigns Naturalization Certificate to Enhance Security
The launch of the redesigned Certificate of Naturalization (Form N-550) was announced October 25 by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The new certificate was redesigned in order to increase security and reduce the amount of fraud. Due to the revamping of the naturalization certificates, USCIS estimates over 600,000 individuals will receive the enhanced certificate over the next year. Features of the redesigned certificates include a digitized photo and an embedded signature on the document, as well as a color-shifting background that is difficult to copy. In addition, USCIS has implemented a new, more secure printing process that makes the document more resistant to fraud. The Director of USCIS, Alejandro Mayorkas, also announced that by the end of the year USCIS would fully transition to an automated production process for the new certificates. The automated process would allow for increased consistency in the creation of naturalization certificates and it would cut down on preparation time. Any previously issued Certificates of Naturalization will remain legitimate even with the implementation of the redesigned certificates.
USCIS Issued a Fact Sheet and a Q&A regarding the redesign of the Naturalization Certificate, please click here to access.
UPDATE: H-1B FY2011 CAP COUNT
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has updated the count of H-1B petitions received and counted towards the 65,000 cap.
As of October 29, 2010, 45,600 H-1B Regular CAP subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS towards the 65,000 cap.
As of October 29, 2010, 16,700 H-1B Masters Degree CAP subject non-immigrant visa petitions have been filed with the USCIS towards the 20,000 cap.
ICE HSI Investigation of Two California Businesses – Allegations of Hiring Illegal Workers
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested the owner and top executive of Masters in Metal, Inc based in California for illegally hiring undocumented aliens. The investigation into the company’s hiring practices began in 2007 when Masters in Metal’s audit revealed 16 employees had used counterfeit green cards to acquire their jobs. Investigation also uncovered illegal workers who remained on the company’s payroll even after they had been told to go get authentic Social Security numbers. The charges carry up to six months in prison for the defendants. A similar situation to the one at Masters in Metal, Inc was investigated less than two week ago at Park Personnel, Inc in Bell, California. An employee was arrested by ICE and HSI agents from Park Personnel for allegedly hiring illegal workers and providing them with forged documents to make their employment seem legal.
By prosecuting those who knowingly hire illegal workers and falsify documents, ICE and HSI are “trying to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect the job opportunities for the nation’s lawful workforce.” Enforcement is also being implemented through the use of auditing, debarment, and final fine notices.
USCIS – Evidence of Improper Influence over Visa Policy??
After statements made by immigration officers were released, that claimed there is an increasing amount of pressure on employees of US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to approve more visas even when there is suspicion of fraud, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA ) asked the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Inspector General on October 15 to investigate. Agency insiders have continued to come forward and provide evidence that suggests USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas is responsible for the encouragement to approve as many visas as possible in the California Service Center. Senator Grassley first began looking into USCIS’s practices when accusations arose that supervisors told employees “to find a way” to approve applications. Grassley says his main concern and reason behind brining this issue to attention is to ensure that, “the rule of law isn’t being undermined by political leaders.”
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) writer David Leopold posted an article on AILA’s blog October 18th in response to Senator Grassley’s proposal for investigation into UCIS’s practices. Leopold argues against the legitimacy of Grassley’s information, citing the fact that the allegations have only been brought by a small group of insiders. Leopold offers a solution to Grassley’s upset, suggesting he submit his own petition to USCIS in order to get a better picture of USCIS’s visa approval procedures. According to Leopold, what Grassley fails to understand about USCIS’s policy of “finding a way” is that the USCIS officers must find the applicant eligible by a “preponderance of evidence.” The applicants must be able to prove the warranting of a visa. He goes on further to say USCIS is in reality far stricter on applicants than Grassley is aware of, he mentions the denial of many visa applicants as a result of flawed assessment by USCIS officers.
REMINDER – Submit your questions
MVP “Q & A Forum” – This Friday, November 5th, 2010
We wanted to find a new way to engage our reader base. Every other Friday, we will post the ten (10) best/most frequently asked questions received during the week from our h1bvisalawyerblog, Facebook, and Twitter readers. We will answer those questions and provide the Q&A on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
If you have a burning question, are seeking assistance with a difficult immigration related case, wish to discuss your views on Comprehensive Immigration Reform, AZ SB1070, priority dates, or the debate focused on Ending Birthright Citizenship, please contact us by submitting your question/comment/viewpoint in our comment box provided on our H-1B Visa Lawyer Blog.
1st Mississippi business becomes IMAGE Partner with ICE
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed an agreement with its first Mississippi Business partner in the IMAGE program, Roy Anderson Corporation , on October 20. The IMAGE program, also known as the ICE Mutual agreement between Government and Employers, helps employer’s better follow the language and regulations of the law by providing them with the necessary information and tools.
In order to qualify for the IMAGE program, an employer is required to conduct an investigation of its hiring practices to discover potential vulnerabilities that could be utilized to commit fraud, complete eligibility verification programs, train its staff on how to use the new tools, and be audited by ICE. One of the main reasons ICE created the IMAGE program was to combat the hiring of illegal and undocumented workers. Undocumented workers create weakness in both the company and government by using fraudulent documents to gain employment and commit identity theft against US workers. Through the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) E-Verify employment eligibility verification program, which is a component of the IMAGE program, employers can pre-screen potential employees before they hire them. For more information on the IMAGE program click here.