Despite being a peninsula with no direct land access to other countries, Florida – like New York – has a great deal of immigrants within its borders. But unlike New York, Florida has a Governor (and far too many Republican legislators) who would prefer that the...
KNOWLEDGABLE BUSINESS LAWYERS
Immigration
The Aftermath of This Year’s H-1B Lottery
I know I write a lot about the H-1B visa program. Probably too much. But this month’s missive must be written. In today’s globalized world, the United States continues to be one of the most sought-after destinations for skilled immigrants (even despite all the...
Immigration and Mental Health
In the spirit of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought a short missive on the connection between immigration and mental health would be appropriate. And when I refer to mental health, I’m speaking to both attorneys and their clients. Many years ago, I...
Despite Delays and Other Issues, USCIS Wants to Increase its Fees!!!
Sometimes I just need to get up on my soapbox and speak loudly. Having said that, I write this piece with a little trepidation. Why? I’ve been working in the immigration world for a long-time now, either on Capitol Hill or in private practice. Thirty-five years to...
President Biden, What Have You Done for Me Lately?
It’s March 2023. We’re a little over two years into the Biden administration, and for two of those years, the Democrats “controlled” two branches of the federal government. I put quotes around “controlled” because it feels like a misnomer to say that given that...
The H-1B Lottery Registration Process
It’s that time of year again, and I do feel like I write about this annually, but given the emails that I’ve seen come across my desk over the past month or so, with attorneys having difficulty setting up their own accounts on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration...
The I-9 and COVID
The Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (“Form I-9”), is three (3) pages long. The basic instructions are fifteen (15) pages long. The Handbook for Employers (M-274), which is the Department of Homeland Security’s (“DHS”) guidance for completing this...
Title 42. What Exactly Is It?
Last week a longstanding client of mine came to the office with one of his siblings and her six children. They had recently been paroled into the United State at our southern border, and they were seeking assistance from our office so they could apply for asylum in...
The Supreme Court Weighs in on Prosecutorial Discretion
I’ve written about this before. Prosecutorial Discretion (or “PD” for short) is the authority of, for our purposes, a federal agency charged with enforcing the immigration law to decide where it should focus its resources and whether or how to enforce, or more often...
What Do the Midterm Elections Mean for U.S. Immigration Policy?
Each election cycle obviously has political implications, and for my purposes, it will no doubt have implications on U.S. immigration policy. Once this midterm election cycle comes to a close (as of this writing, the Georgia senate race is still up in the air), it...