RESULTS FOR: Immigration + Border Services
January 24, 2023 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
When companies intend to merge with or acquire another company, many risk factors must be evaluated prior to the transaction’s execution. However, immigration compliance risk is not always on the top of that list. And, that could be a potentially costly omission.
Immigration Compliance: Why It Matters:
Immigration compliance risk comes in two primary areas; 1) Work-related visa risk, and 2) I-9 compliance risk. While not all U.S.-based companies use work-related visas, they all must comply with the I-9 laws … Read More
October 6, 2022 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
As per an October 11, 2022 announcement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs enforcement (ICE) has officially extended Form I-9 flexibilities, particularly for remote hire instances. Those relaxed procedures now expire on July 31, 2023. For employers, it is business as usual and no need to rush to get employees’ documents inspected in person at the beginning of November. The government does encourage employers to begin that process in good faith and with discretion.… Read More
May 4, 2022 | Immigration + Border Services
On May 4, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a vast increase in the length of automatic extensions for certain renewal applicants. A Temporary Final Rule (TFR) has been published and provides details regarding the changes. Due to the negative impact of COVID-19, federal personnel shortages, and a major increase in Employment Authorization Document (EAD) applications, USCIS has been bogged-down with severe backlogs and delayed production of filing receipts and work permits.… Read More
March 9, 2021 | Immigration + Border Services
On March 8, 2021, the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelan nationals. The TPS period extends to September 2022 (18 months) and applies to those currently residing in the United States. Secretary Mayorkas cited the extraordinarily negative circumstances and poor living conditions in Venezuela as the primary reasons for the TPS.
As a result, and of utmost importance, any Venezuelan national who qualifies for and wishes to be considered … Read More
April 28, 2020 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued an updated version of the M-274 I-9 Handbook for Employers. The updates follow the changes that resulted from the release of the revised I-9 Form on January 31, 2020. It also includes additional guidance for commonly asked questions and issues raised by employers.
The M-274 is the “go-to” manual for questions regarding I-9 completion and its continued updates are an extremely helpful way for the regulatory agencies to ensure that employers have … Read More
May 2, 2019 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
Employers who have dedicated resources to developing a robust I-9 compliance program, and who also follow trends related to identification documents to prevent fraud, should pay attention to a new area of concern — interim driver’s licenses.
Many states have enhanced the security of their driver’s licenses and identification cards over the past several years. These enhancements consist of new security features, printing, holograms, and tamper resistant formats. Some states periodically enhance the security features of their documents, and others … Read More
February 5, 2018 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
If there was any doubt about whether the current Administration was going to add worksite enforcement back into ICE’s enforcement agenda, the answer is “YES”. On January 10, 2018, ICE Acting Director Tom Homan released ICE’s revised worksite enforcement strategy. The new strategy focuses on three identified prongs: compliance; enforcement; and outreach.
Specifically mentioned under the enforcement prong is “the arrest of unauthorized workers for violation of laws associated with working without authorization.” This is a significant change from … Read More
October 6, 2017 | Immigration + Border Services Investigations
Last week U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a news release regarding a significant worksite enforcement settlement which was touted as the “largest civil settlement agreement ever levied by ICE”. The question being asked by many employers, “Is this the return to worksite enforcement under the Trump Administration?” Given the strong talks about the southern border wall and being more aggressive on immigration enforcement by the current Administration, one area that has remained relatively quiet is worksite enforcement, both … Read More
February 2, 2017 | Compliance Immigration + Border Services
In response to the Trump Administration’s Executive Order temporarily banning refugees and certain immigrants with origins from seven specific countries, several U.S. companies publicly declared their commitment to the hiring of refugees. Specifically, Starbucks pledged to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years and LinkedIn signaled their intent to speed up the expansion of LinkedIn’s “Welcome Talent” refugee support program. Other companies are considering following the lead of Starbucks and pledging to hire existing and newly arriving refugees.
For … Read More
January 23, 2017 | Immigration + Border Services Investigations
During his inaugural address, President Trump provided a glimpse into the priorities his administration will pursue, including immigration enforcement. He stated, in part, “We will get our people off of welfare and back to work – rebuilding our country with American hands and American labor.” This clearly points not only a desire to prevent the outsourcing of American jobs, but also a desire to ensure only authorized workers in the United States are engaged in the workforce.
President Trump and … Read More