Dear Readers:
Immigration continues to dominate the news and while Congress has yet to pass a single bill on immigration, change continues continue coming from the Executive Branch. One of the most important developments has been the failed implementation of the third version of the President’s Travel Ban on visa holders from several different (mostly Muslim) countries. Courts in Hawaii and Maryland ruled this week that the ban continues to violate the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Hawaii court issued a nationwide injunction and the Department of Homeland Security has indicated it will comply with the court order.
DACA’s deadline for final extension applications passed on October 5th and it is far from clear what will happen when large groups of people begin to lose their work authorization beginning in March. Five bills have been introduced in the House and Senate, but the apparent deal announced by Democratic leaders with the President was essentially repudiated when the White House announced a number of new conditions that are widely seen as being non-starters. That, coupled with a release of White House policy principles this month has led many to conclude that anti-immigration zealots are firmly in control of policymaking in the White House.
This month also saw the start of interviews being required in all employment-based green card cases. Green card interviews were rare in the past and most USCIS local offices have very little training in the issues that they’re now being charged with covering. Furthermore, no additional resources have been allocated for this massive new undertaking. We are no doubt going to see processing times for family-based cases and naturalization applications backlog considerably and a lot of incorrect denials of employment-based cases.
In firm news, I spoke at the annual meeting of the International Bar Association in Sydney, Australia this month. Lynn Susser will be speaking on a panel of the American Immigration Lawyers Association on the new interview requirements noted above. Elissa Taub was quoted in a Bloomberg BNA story on the role of immigrant doctors in alleviating a national shortage of psychiatrists. And Lily Axelrod was interviewed on the i24 News Network regarding the travel ban.
And I’m very pleased to announce the publication of my new book with co-author Bruce Buchanan. It’s titled The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook and can be found on Amazon in both print and e-book versions.
Finally, we have a national immigration practice and are happy to consult with you on immigration matters. Please go to www.visalaw.com/consultation to request an appointment by phone or in person.
Regards,
Greg Siskind
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.