1. USCIS Releases Tips on Filing I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker
On January 21, 2010, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a Q&A on ways to ensure that an Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker (Form I-140) will not be rejected. Some tips include:
• Use the most current edition of the form, although older editions may be accepted.
• Make sure you follow the instructions carefully regarding which location to file your I-140 petition.
• Select only one visa preference category in Part 2 of the I-140. (USCIS will reject the I-140 petition if Part 2 is left blank or if more than one visa preference category is selected in Part 2.)
• Respond to all questions and provide information in all of the “answer” and “check” boxes. Write “none” or “n/a” in an answer box if a question does not apply to you.
• Print or type information using black ink only. Do not “highlight” or “background shade” your entries.
• Make sure the petitioner signs the I-140.
• Include the correct fee specified in the form instructions. If you file the petition with other related applications for the beneficiary, attach the fee to the petition by paper clip or staple, and indicate the name of the applicant on the payment document (i.e., in the memo field).
• Submit one check per application. If more than one petition or application is filed using a single check, and any of the forms are found to be improperly filed, all forms will be rejected.
• Submit Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative, if applicable (with original signatures of both the representative and the applicant or petitioner).
• For petitions that are filed electronically, send the supporting documentation to the address identified in the directions for e-filing Do not submit any other paper-filed applications or petitions with the supporting documentation for the electronically filed I-140.
Other questions and answers include what to do if an incorrect visa category is selected in Part 2; what to do if the petitioner wants to request consideration of multiple visa categories on behalf of a worker; how to file an I-140 that requires a Department of Labor-approved labor certification; and how to organize the evidence with the I-140 petition.
The memo also includes tips for various types of I-140s, such as aliens of extraordinary ability; outstanding professors or researchers; multinational executives or managers; aliens of exceptional ability; members of the professions holding an advanced degree; and national interest waivers.
Among other things, the memo discusses how a successor employer can establish a successor-in-interest relationship with a predecessor employer in order to use that employer’s approved labor certification when filing an I-140 on behalf of the beneficiary named on the labor certification; and tips on “porting” to a different employer if a beneficiary’s I-140 is still pending.
2. USCIS Issues Controversial Memo on Determining Employer-Employee Relationships for Adjudication of H-1B Petitions
Donald Neufeld, Associate Director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Operations, released a memorandum on January 8, 2010, that provides guidance concerning the requirement that an H-1B petitioner establish that an employer-employee relationship exists and will continue to exist with the beneficiary throughout the duration of the requested H-1B validity period.
The memo states that a lack of guidance clearly defining what constitutes a valid employer-employee relationship has “raised problems,” particularly with independent contractors, self-employed beneficiaries, and beneficiaries placed at third-party worksites. Mr. Neufeld notes that the placement of a beneficiary/employee at a worksite that is not operated by the petitioner/employer (third-party placement), common in some industries, “generally makes it more difficult to assess whether the requisite employer-employee relationship exists and will continue to exist.
Among other things, petitioner control over the beneficiary must be established when the beneficiary is placed into another employer’s business and is expected to become a part of that business’s regular operations, the memo notes. “The requisite control may not exist in certain instances when the petitioner’s business is to provide its employees to fill vacancies in businesses that contract with the petitioner for personnel needs. Such placements are likely to require close review in order to determine if the required relationship exists,” the memo warns.
Further, the memo notes, USCIS must ensure that the employer is in compliance with Department of Labor regulations requiring that a petitioner file a labor condition application (LCA) specific to each location where the beneficiary will be working.
The memo includes a discussion of the “right to control” when, where, and how the beneficiary performs the job, which the memo distinguishes from “actual control.” The memo states that the employer-employee relationship hinges on the right to control the beneficiary, and outlines 11 factors USCIS will consider to make such determinations. The memo also provides examples of valid and invalid employer-employee relationships; exceptions; documentation to establish the employer-employee relationship; and requests for evidence.
3. USCIS Is Reissuing Advance Parole Documents To Correct Date
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on January 27, 2010, that it is reissuing Advance Parole (Form I-512) documents because some documents were mailed to applicants with an incorrect issue date of January 5, 1990. All affected documents have been identified and USCIS will automatically reissue those documents.
USCIS said all advance parole documents continue to be valid because the expiration dates remain accurate. Therefore it is not necessary for applicants to contact USCIS regarding their pending applications unless their application is outside the normal processing time of 90 days.
Those who need to travel urgently and have received a document with an invalid issue date may travel using the incorrectly dated document, USCIS said. U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has been alerted, and travelers may be questioned about the issuance date. USCIS advises printing the notice to share with CBP if necessary. The notice is available HERE.
4. SSA Fails To Verify 19 Percent of New Hires
In a recent 18-month period, the Social Security Administration (SSA) failed to verify the Social Security Numbers of 19 percent, or 1,767 of 9,311 new SSA employees, as required. In other cases examined by the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General, the SSA improperly E-Verified volunteers who should not have been screened under federal guidelines, and inappropriately screened some candidates in advance of hire.
SSA agreed with the Inspector General’s recommendations, including verifying the 1,767 workers and issuing guidance to remind staff to: (1) verify all new hires; (2) conduct verification queries within three business days after a new employee has reported for duty and both sections of the I-9 employment eligibility verification form have been completed; and (3) prohibit the verification of existing SSA employees, job candidates, and volunteers.
The Inspector General’s report is available HERE.
5. DHS Grants TPS to Haitians Following Catastrophic Earthquake
After Charles Kuck blogged on the need for urgent granting of TPS status to Haitians following the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, the Obama administration announced that it is granting temporary protected status (TPS) to Haitians who were in the U.S. as of January 12, 2010. The designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the U.S. to continue living and working in the country for the next 18 months. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano noted that “[t]hose who attempt to travel to the United States after January 12, 2010, will not be eligible for TPS and will be repatriated.”
In a related field guidance memo issued on January 15, Secretary Napolitano said that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services “will implement procedures to adjudicate favorably, where possible, applications for change or extension of nonimmigrant status following the expiration of an applicant’s period of admission; grant an additional period of parole or advance parole in appropriate cases; and authorize ‘F’ nonimmigrant students’ requests for off-campus employment work authorization.” She said USCIS will also “expedite the processing of advance parole applications and relative petitions for minor children from affected areas,” and will “grant employment authorization where appropriate.”
The field guidance memo, which outlines actions a USCIS officer may take when an applicant is a Haitian national or a habitual resident of Haiti, is available HERE.
The announcement, along with information about USCIS’s Haiti relief effort, is available HERE.
Details on TPS application and eligibility requirements for Haitians are available HERE.
Department of State information about queries related to U.S. citizens in Haiti and related issues is available HERE.
6. USCIS Announces Restructuring of Fraud Detection, Customer Service, Domestic Operations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on January 11, 2010, that it has realigned its organizational structure “to achieve greater efficiency and to more ably accomplish our mission.” The realignment reflects the prioritization of certain critical agency responsibilities, USCIS said. The three most significant changes are:
• The creation of a Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate.
• The creation of a new Customer Service Directorate.
• The division of the existing Domestic Operations Directorate into two separate directorates: Service Center Operations and Field Operations.
The announcement is available HERE. A USCIS organizational chart is available HERE.
7. DHS Adds 11 Countries to Designated List for Participation in H-2A, H-2B Programs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated 39 countries whose nationals are eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant programs. DHS said that the 28 countries designated in its December 2008 notices continue to meet the standards and therefore should remain on the list. With the concurrence of the Department of State, DHS has added 11 countries to the list for the first time, including Croatia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Serbia, Slovakia, and Uruguay. The other 28 countries are Argentina, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Moldova, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
8. DOL Releases List of Important E-Mail Addresses
The Department of Labor recently released a list of important e-mail addresses pertaining to the PERM system, labor condition applications and prevailing wages, and H-2A/H-2B issues.
The list is available HERE.
9. ICE Updates List of SEVP-Approved Schools
10. AAO Processing Times Released
11. USCIS Grants One-Time Accommodation for H-2A Sheepherders
The announcement is available HERE.
13. Global Immigration: UK Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals
In November 2008, the United Kingdom (UK) Border Agency (UKBA) set out its plan to introduce a requirement for all non-British or European Economic Area (EEA) nationals applying for leave to enter or remain in the UK to register biometric data as part of their visa applications. An applicant’s biometric data and permission to enter or remain in the UK is recorded in an Identity Card for Foreign Nationals (ICFN), replacing the vignette sticker placed in the migrant’s passport as a certificate of permission to enter or remain in the UK.
All relevant applicants and their dependents must now attend an appointment in person to give facial and fingerprint information, which is encoded on a secure readable microchip embedded within the ICFN. The credit card-sized ICFN is designed to be carried with the migrant at all times, and presented with the migrant’s passport upon entry into, and exit from, the UK and without which the migrant may be refused entry. The information stored on the ICFN is designed to be scanned upon entry to the UK and by UKBA staff performing compliance visits, and is heralded as a key tool in the detection of forged travel and ID documents and ultimately a step closer to the UKBA’s goal of eliminating undocumented work in the UK.
ICFN scheme extended to skilled workers under Tier 2 of the Points Based System. The ICFN scheme initially applied only to those applying to remain in the UK under the student category and the spouse, unmarried partner, same-sex partner and civil partner category, which the UKBA asserts are the high-risk immigration routes for identity fraud and visa abuse. Between December 2009 and March 2009, the UKBA extended the requirement for an ICFN to include migrants applying to remain in the UK as students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System (PBS), and to non-PBS categories, including post-graduate doctors and dentists, academic visitors (extending beyond six months in total), domestic workers in private households, UK ancestry, and the sole representatives of overseas business categories.
On September 24, 2009, the UKBA announced that starting in January 2010, all foreign nationals applying for an extension of their immigration permission (leave to remain) as a skilled worker under Tier 2 and their dependents in the UK would require an ICFN as part of their application. On December 10, 2009, the UKBA announced that the requirement would be implemented from January 6, 2010. Employers therefore had less than one month over the holiday period to assist any employees in the UK with leave to remain as a work permit holder nearing expiration with the submission of an extension application prior to the implementation date. Any applications submitted on or after January 6, 2010, would require in-person biometrics appointments as part of the application process.
The UKBA has confirmed on its Web site that it intends to further extend ICFNs to all highly skilled migrant applications submitted in the UK under Tier 1 of the PBS later in 2010.
Recent News from KIP Attorneys
Mr. Kuck was featured recently on CNN in an interview/commentary on letting Haitians stay in the U.S. via temporary protected status. The video is available HERE.
Mr. Kuck blogged on the new Policy Memos from USCIS, “What Happens When USCIS Breaks The Law,” which severely damage the H-1B and EB-5 visa programs. He has called on USCIS Director Mayorkas to withdraw these poorly thought out and legally incorrect memos.
Mr. Kuck’s blog, “It Is Time for TPS Designation for Haitians,” notes that in addition to the recent 7.0 earthquake, Haitians endured political upheaval, riots over skyrocketing food prices, and four major storms in 2008 from which they have yet to recover. “Allow the nationals of that country currently in the United States to help that country recovery by allowing them to come forward and secure a work permission in the United States,” Mr. Kuck argues. (Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano subsequently announced that TPS has been granted to Haitians present in the U.S. as of January 12, 2010.)
Mr. Kuck also recently published a blog on comprehensive immigration reform, “Immigration and the Economy – We Need CIR Now!,” which discusses reports showing that removal of the 12 million undocumented people in the U.S. would be an economic disaster, causing a loss to the U.S. economy of over $2 trillion over the next 10 years.
New Publications and Items of Interest
- Global Workforce Impact Survey. Western Union and The Economist have published the “Western Union Global Workforce Impact Survey.” The report notes that nearly one out of six people worldwide has migrated, representing a vast mobile workforce. This includes 740 million who are traveling within their own country, and 200 million who are moving across international borders.1 With more people on the move, the report says, international migration is increasingly recognized as central to economic vitality and global competitiveness. Varying immigration laws among countries often limit a company’s ability to hire the necessary talent, the report notes: “With an eye fixed on the future, businesses increasingly see open immigration policies as enabling them to expand quickly when the economy turns around.” The report calls for policymakers to address these business needs by developing flexible immigration policies that minimize the barriers to mobility and address concerns about the impact of foreign workers on domestic wages, working conditions, and opportunities. The survey of 501 senior executives was designed to provide new insight into business attitudes and practices toward cross-border workforce supplies. More than three out of four (76 percent) respondents believe that foreign workers have a positive impact on the economy.
The report is available at http://corporate.westernunion.com/global_migration.html.
- Responding to a new era of global mobility. NAFSA: Association of International Educators has published A Visa and Immigration Policy for the Brain-Circulation Era: Adjusting to What Happened in the World While We Were Making Other Plans. The report says that it’s time for the United States to adopt an approach that embraces the opportunities of a new era in global mobility and supports its economic competitiveness and foreign policy goals. NAFSA urges a comprehensive set of policy actions that will enhance the U.S.’s ability to benefit from the contributions of foreign students and foreign talent, and makes recommendations in the areas of visa reform. These include revising the policy on interviews for visa applicants, expediting reviews for low-risk travelers, and reforming the security clearance process for visiting scientists; comprehensive immigration reform, including reforming employment-based immigration, attracting international students, and improving management of the Department of Homeland Security; and identity documents and document security, including revisiting REAL ID.
The report is available at http://www.nafsa.org/PressRoom/PressRelease.aspx?id=17421.
Government Agency Links
Follow these links to access current processing times of the USCIS Service Centers and the Department of Labor, or the Department of State’s latest Visa Bulletin with the most recent cut-off dates for visa numbers:
USCIS Service Center processing times online: http://egov.uscis.gov/cris/processTimesDisplay.do
Department of Labor processing times and information on backlogs: http:/www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/times.cfm
Department of State Visa Bulletin: http:/travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin/bulletin_1360.html
