On March 29, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a trio of efforts to increase efficiency and reduce burdens to the overall legal immigration system. USCIS will set new agency-wide backlog reduction goals, expand premium processing to additional form types, and work to improve timely access to employment authorization documents. Due to the COVID-19…
Continue reading ›On March 24, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) are issuing a rule to improve and expedite processing of asylum claims made by noncitizens subject to expedited removal, ensuring that those who are eligible for asylum are granted relief quickly, and those who are not are promptly removed. The…
Continue reading ›In accordance to 8 U.S.C. § 1367 (“Section 1367“) where treatment of information received from prohibited sources and required certifications when certain enforcement actions are taken at specified locations, ICE issued Directive 10036.2: implementation of Section 1367 Protections for Noncitizen Victims of Crime. The purpose is to protect the identification and disclosure of information. It…
Continue reading ›The city of Los Angeles will increase its minimum wage from $15 to $16.04 starting July 1, 2022, due to rising consumer prices in Southern California. This year marks the first time the minimum wage has been raised based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage earners and Clerical Workers. The CEO must determine…
Continue reading ›U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is preparing some domestic offices to reopen and resume non-emergency public services on or after June 4, 2022. On March 18, USCIS temporarily suspended routine in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is following the…
Continue reading ›On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021, which limits the use of mandatory employment arbitration agreements. Previously, under Federal Arbitration Act, employers could require employees to submit most claims against their employers to arbitration by using a valid arbitration agreement. Before signing…
Continue reading ›U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reminds the public that USCIS offers immigration services that may help people affected by extreme situations, including the invasion of Ukraine. The following measures may be available on a case-by-case basis upon request: Changing a nonimmigrant status or extending a nonimmigrant stay for an individual currently in the United States.…
Continue reading ›On March 7, 2022, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it is updating the USCIS Policy Manual to consider deferred action and related employment authorization for noncitizens who have an approved Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification but who cannot apply to adjust status to…
Continue reading ›U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated H-2B cap for the second half of fiscal year (FY) 2022. February 25, 2022, was the final receipt date for new cap-subject H-2B worker petitions requesting an employment start date on or after April 1, 2022, and before October 1, 2022.…
Continue reading ›On February 25, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he will be lifting 95% of California’s coronavirus-related executive order provisions. In accordance with the new endemic strategy, the California Department of Health and Human Services (CDPH) issued revised mask guidance on February 28, 2022. From March 1, 2022, vaccinated and unvaccinated people will not be…
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