Serotte Reich, LLP – Immigration Law

The House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary approved a bill on September 21, 2011, that would mandate E-Verify use by U.S. employers for all new employees. A date for consideration on the House floor has not yet been set. The bill, H.R. 2885, was introduced by Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee. […]Read More >

On September 16, 2011, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton announced an initiative to streamline the international student visa process for foreign students seeking to study in the U.S. The “Study in the States” initiative is “a key component of a government-wide effort to encourage the […]Read More >

The online registration period for the 2013 diversity visa program (DV-2013) begins on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at noon (EDT) and ends on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at noon (EDT). Entries must be submitted electronically with photographs, and there are no fees to enter. The Department of State strongly encourages applicants not to wait until […]Read More >

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that the Office of Foreign Labor Certification’s (OFLC) National Prevailing Wage Center (NPWC) has suspended temporarily processing of prevailing wage determinations (PWDs), redeterminations, and Center Director Reviews. The NPWC handles PWDs for the PERM labor certification, H-1B, H-1B1 (Chile/Singapore), H-2B, and E-3 programs. As a result of the […]Read More >

Partners and Other Household Members of Principal Nonimmigrants U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ new policy memorandum on B-2 extensions for cohabiting partners and other household members of principal nonimmigrants does not change eligibility requirements for change of status to B-2, or extension of B-2 status. Rather, it clarifies that such a change and/or one or more […]Read More >