The U.S. government is in a state of partial shutdown as of October 1, 2013 due to an inability to obtain congressional agreement on appropriations. As of October 1st, the Department of Labor iCert system is unavailable. This system is used for both PERM labor...
If the U.S. Congress cannot reach an agreement on a funding extension before midnight tonight, there will be what is commonly referred to as a government shutdown, effective October 1, 2013. In such a situation, government services are not completely eliminated. However, government operations are...
The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) recently addressed questions related to efforts to verify the employment authorization of contractors. The issue is whether it is appropriate for a general contractor to request employment authorization documentation from...
Immigration law is full of complex legal and procedural concerns. At times, however, simple matters and small details can create disruptions within the system. Such is the case with a recent problem, which has since been resolved, at the U.S. Department of State (DOS) National...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is working to update and improve the operations of the National Customer Service Center (NCSC). More specifically, the USCIS is taking steps to expand and modernize the existing phone and online USCIS informational systems. Voice Prompts Simplified and Website...
A May 28, 2013 decision, issued by the U.S. Department of Labor's Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) significantly limits options for fixing incorrect information on a PERM labor certification application. In Matter of Sushi Shogun BALCA has limited the use of the far...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released a new version of the form for employment eligibility verification (I-9). Employers must use the I-9 form at the time when employees are hired in the United States, to verify employment authorization. While there is a...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has taken a major step by releasing the first volume of their new Policy Manual. This Manual will replace the current Adjudicators Field Manual (AFM) as well as a number of USCIS policy memos. The first volume covers...
Fiscal year 2012 (FY12) was the busiest year on record for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audits of employers' employment eligibility verification (I-9 forms). Beyond just the number of investigations, fines and even arrests also grew dramatically during the past three fiscal years for...
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced the launch of the E-Verify Employers Search Tool. This tool, which is available free of charge on USCIS's E-Verify WebSite, is a user-friendly interface that allows individuals to search for and view profiles of employers currently...
