Author Archive

State Dept. Announces New Requirement for Passport Applications

8/3/2011 Written by Brian D. Zuccaro

The Department of State announced that the full names of an applicant’s parent(s) must be listed on all certified birth certificates for them to be considered primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship. This does not […]Read More >

Company Held Liable for Back Wages of H-1B Employee Who Never Worked

8/3/2011 Written by Brian D. Zuccaro

Ganze & Company, an accounting firm in Napa Valley, California, filed a labor condition application (LCA) to hire Kevin Limanseto as an H-1B employee but subsequently decided not to employ him. However, Ganze never informed the government of that change, and Mr. Limanseto complained to the Department of Labor that he had never been paid. […]Read More >

USCIS Ombudsman Issues Advice to Employers on Documenting the ‘Temporary’ Nature of H-2B Work

7/28/2011 Written by Brian D. Zuccaro

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Ombudsman has provided information in response to reports that USCIS is issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) in H-2B nonagricultural worker cases that question the claimed “temporary” nature of an employer’s business need for foreign labor. The Ombudsman explained that employers seeking to participate in this program must establish to […]Read More >

Senate Holds Hearing on DREAM Act of 2011

7/3/2011 Written by Brian D. Zuccaro

The Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and Border Security held a hearing on the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2011 on June 28, 2011. Sen. Dick Durbin (R-Ill.) opened the hearing. Witnesses included Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Arne Duncan, Secretary of the Department of Education; […]Read More >

ICE To Audit 1,000 Employers Nationwide for I-9 Violations

7/1/2011 Written by Brian D. Zuccaro

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that it is auditing approximately 1,000 U.S. employers, of a range of sizes and in every state, to ensure compliance with I-9 employment authorization verification procedures. ICE has not specified which companies are affected, but it is expected to be focusing on critical sectors, to include agriculture and […]Read More >