Valentine Brown

Ready ... Set... Go! Some Travel Restrictions to the US are quietly lifting for ESTA, B-1, F-1 and J-1 travelers... Late last week, the State Department sent guidance to US Embassies in the UK, Ireland and the Schengen area allowing them more freedom to approve national interest exceptions for these travelers.... According to the State Department, "Students traveling from the Schengen Area, the UK, and Ireland with valid F-1 and M-1 visas do not need to contact an embassy or consulate to seek an individual national interest exception to travel." Other visa holders such as B-1, E, and J visa holders should check in with the US Embassy to get their national interest exception approved before they travel. To read the State Department Memo click here. http://ow.ly/G3gc50AHCCb

Worried about getting your new hire I-9s done on time while everyone is still remote? Great news! USCIS announced an extension of the virtual verification process until August 19. Here are a few tips to remember when using the virutal option: The workplace must be in remote status.... New hire I-9 documents can be reviewed by video, email or other virtual format. The I-9 must be completed with 3 days of the employee's start date. The employer must have a remote work and onboarding policy that includes procedures for remote I-9 completion. Read the USCIS announcment here. http://ow.ly/jmCo50AHzNd.

USCIS estimates that about 9 million out of 13 million Green Card Holders in the US are eligible to naturalize. What is holding them back? English requirements, high cost of USCIS filing fees, fear of taking the test? Learn about the process & find out. https://www.uscis.gov/citizens//learn-about-naturalization

International travel restrictions are changing on a daily basis. Some countries opening, some closing. Check the details before you make definite plans, and make sure you have a valid visa if you need one. https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions

International travel is so confusing right now. Get good advice before you book anything. COVID-19 bans, immigration bans, consular closures, canceled visa appointments, 14-day quarantine requirements...trying to keep it all straight is difficult. But there are some workarounds. To get to the US from Europe, you must quarantine for 14 days in a non-banned country like Serbia or Turkey. To get to Europe from the US, you must travel to a non banned country and enter the EU from there. #askyourimmigrationlawyer #travel #USCIS http://ow.ly/RzGF50AwdJU

Read my UpdateED blog post to learn more about ICE's unprecedented rescission of the remote study ban on F-1 Students. #DuaneMorris, #UpdateED #askyourimmigrationlawyer https://blogs.duanemorris.com//remote-study-ban-on-foreig/

Green Cards and Work Permits Delayed due to printing problems: USCIS has cut printing capacity by 50% leaving thousands without proof of legal status or work authorization. USCIS budget shortfall is compounding the issue. #USCIS #askyourimmigrationlawyer http://ow.ly/yvc750AwcGA

Senators question actual reasons for USCIS budget shortfall: COVID-19 caused a reduction in applications and filing fees or White House policies caused a decline in # of immigrants who want to stay in the US? #USCIS #immigration #ICE #immigrantsmakeamerica https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov//van-hollen-cardin-urge-u

USCIS furlough notices are out. 13K workers to be ousted on 8/3. Look for delays, higher filing fees and a push on naturalization ceremonies until the end of July. Rumors of a full USCIS shutdown are not true. http://ow.ly/8M4G50Awcnb

Join me, Susanne Heubel and Alejandra Vargas for a webinar on PERM in the COVID-19 era on Thursday, July 16th, 2020 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET. Remote work, layoffs, stay at home orders and business closures have rapidly changed the job market in unprecedented ways, yet employers still need to submit immigration sponsorship applications for key foreign national employees. The Department of Labor’s focus on protecting American workers combined with the detailed labor market test required for the PERM process make for a complex web of considerations for employers. In this one and a half hour webinar we will review the PERM process requirements, discuss recent trends and provide employers with a road map to the new normal. CLE, HRCI and SHRM credits available http://duanemorrisinstitute.com/view-course/

Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, representing 80 institutions of higher education weighs in on impact of new ICE-SEVP remote learning restrictions on F-1 students. They argue that the institutions and F-1 students relied on prior statements by ICE-SEVP that the agency would be flexible until the end of the emergency. Schools and students have invested substantial resources in making plans for fall 2020 semesters, many of which are set to start in the next four weeks. District of Massachusetts Federal Judge should rule this week on whether a temporary stay is appropriate. http://ow.ly/Z7Tx50AwbQf Stay posted for more updates. #immigration #askyourimmigrationlawyer #F-1Students #ICE #SEVP

Universities struggle to revamp and revise remote and hybrid class schedules by the arbitrary 7/27 deadline set by ICE in their recent guidance, while a lawsuit filed in Massachusetts gets underway, arguing that the government violated the Administrative Procedures Act. https://www.chronicle.com/article/As-MITHarvard-Sue/249142

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