Travel Ban 2.0

Mar 8, 2017

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

On Monday, March 6, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order replacing the previously”‘issued Executive Order that banned the entry of citizens and nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program indefinitely for Syrians and for a period of 120 days for everyone else, and directed various other changes or reviews of the nation’s immigration system. The new Executive Order contains similar provisions, but includes some clarifications and exclusions not contained in

President Trump’s Executive Action on Immigration

Feb 1, 2017

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

On Friday, January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order, titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.”

90-Day Travel Ban for Nationals of Certain Countries

Most notably, the Executive Order imposes a 90-day suspension on entry into the United States for all citizens and nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.     The plain language of the travel ban encompasses nonimmigrants and immigrants alike, meaning even green card holders and

Immigration: Hot off the Press!

Jan 26, 2017

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

REMINDER: Required Use of New Form I-9 Began January 22, 2017

The Trump administration has emphasized the need for compliance in the immigration arena.   Employers should focus energy on I-9 compliance to meet the obligations set forth in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”) to address the likelihood of increased worksite enforcement. Employers were required to begin using the new version of the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form on January 22, 2017.   This

DHS Issues Final Rule with Important Changes Benefitting Certain EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 Immigrant Workers and Highly Skilled Nonimmigrant Workers

Nov 20, 2016

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

On November 18, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) published a final rule with provisions that significantly impact certain immigrant and nonimmigrant workers. The new rule can be found at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-11-18/pdf/2016-27540.pdf. The effective date of the new rule is January 17, 2017. In the Executive Summary to the new rule, DHS expresses that the intent of the new rule is to streamline certain processes and to “better enable U.S. employers to employ and retain highly-skilled workers

Employer Alert: Coming Soon! New Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification

Nov 10, 2016

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

On August 25, 2016, the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) approved a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The new version will replace the current version of the I-9 form that expired on March 31, 2016, and will be valid for a period of three years through August 31, 2019. USCIS has 90 days from OMB’s approval of the form, in which to update its system and make the form available on its website ( read more

USCIS Proposed Rule for Entrepreneurs

Oct 25, 2016

 Melanie Gurley Keeney

On August 26, 2016, USCIS proposed a new role that would allow certain international entrepreneurs to be considered for parole (temporary permission to be in the U.S.) so that they may start or scale-up their businesses in the U.S. The comment period closed on October 10, 2016. The proposed rule does not take effect until the date indicated in the final rule when a final rule is published in the Federal Register. Under the proposed rule, the Department of Homeland