In ongoing efforts to reduce immigration and narrow existing legal routes, the Trump administration has repurposed an old idea—screening foreign nationals for financial self-sufficiency. When the Department of Homeland Security proposed the public charge rule in 2018, the economy was expanding with low unemployment numbers. Now that the COVID-19 crisis has led to an economic
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‘Culture of Collaboration’ Propels BAL to #1 on AmLaw’s Diversity Ranking Dallas, May 29, 2020 – Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) has earned the title of the most diverse law firm in the country. The powerhouse in immigration law landed the #1 spot on The American Lawyer’s 2020 Diversity Scorecard, the industry’s preeminent ranking
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Companies wrestling with the economic effects of COVID-19 are facing difficult choices regarding furloughs, layoffs and reductions in employee pay and hours. Employers should carefully consider all H-1B requirements to ensure they remain in compliance with regulations and to help minimize negative consequences for their H-1B employees’ immigration status. H-1B employers are obligated to pay
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DALLAS, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL), the leader in immigration law, won the annual SIIA CODiE Award for Best Legal Solution of 2020. The prestigious CODiE Awards recognize companies producing the most innovative businesses technology products across industries, and around the world. BAL won the award for Cobalt®, its industry-leading digital immigration platform. Cobalt® allows companies to
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As countries around the world continue to impose travel bans and lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are facing significant challenges in managing mobility and immigration concerns and their cross-border workforce. To help keep you informed and navigate these new developments, Deloitte has published an article exploring the most relevant immigration, employment and tax impacts for businesses. The
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On March 30, the State Department published new Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) guidance for consular officers that changes the standard of proof for blanket L adjudications and is likely to increase the refusal rate for multinational companies with blanket L visa programs. The previous guidance advised consular officers that L-1 visa adjudications based on blanket
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As employers implement social distancing in the workplace, work-from-home policies have raised questions about how companies can meet compliance requirements for H-1B employees, in particular how changes to an employee’s work location affects Labor Condition Application (LCA) requirements. It was hoped that the Department of Labor would provide temporary measures allowing flexibility in LCA compliance
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Employees in the green card process are seeing additional flexibility in processing as the COVID-19 national emergency continues to complicate the normal steps, and the government appears to be relaxing certain requirements. All U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offices have been closed to the public since March 18 and are not scheduled to reopen
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As countries attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, governments around the world are taking unprecedented measures to restrict movement of travelers and suspend immigration services. While companies are addressing the immediate effects of travel bans and U.S. consulate closures, they should also begin to consider how things will look in the coming weeks and
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COVID-19 is slowing immigration processing, with U.S. consulates suspending routine visa services abroad and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) temporarily suspending premium processing and in-person services during the national emergency. Nevertheless, companies that sponsor H-1B, labor certification and other immigration procedures for employees in the U.S. will be able to keep several processes moving
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