David Isaacson

Lock Up Falsely Arrested Adjustment Applicants and Teenage Shoplifters, or Be Sued: the House’s “Laken Riley Act”

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On March 7, 2024, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Laken Riley Act”, H.R. 7511. The bill was named after a murder victim from Georgia, whose “alleged murderer”, as the bill describes him, had been paroled into the United States from Venezuela and had previously been arrested for driving a scooter without a license (with a child who was not wearing a helmet) and for shoplifting. The bill describes its primary purpose as “To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft”.

Perhaps because the Laken Riley Act has little chance of passing the Senate or becoming law, there has been little public analysis of its details, although its initial passage by the House was covered by major media such as the New York Times and CNN. At least one press release has correctly observed that “Under the Laken Riley Act, a Dreamer who lives in a hostile state could be subject to indefinite detention simply because someone says they suspect them of a petty crime.” As it turns out, however, some of the details are even worse than that press release suggests.

The text of the Laken Riley Act would add a new paragraph (1)(E) to the list of those subject to mandatory detention during removal proceedings in INA § 236(c), 8 U.S.C. § 1226(c), covering “any alien who . . .

(i) is inadmissible under paragraph (6)(A), (6)(C), or (7) of section 212(a), and
(ii) is charged with, is arrested for, is convicted of, admits having committed, or admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of any burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting offense,”

H.R. 7511, § 3(1). It would require that “The Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue a detainer for an alien described in paragraph (1)(E) and, if the alien is not otherwise detained by Federal, State, or local officials, shall effectively and expeditiously take custody of the alien.” Id. § 3(3). In addition, it would allow lawsuits by “The attorney general of a State, or other authorized State officer” to file lawsuits challenging the release of aliens in alleged violation of INA § 236 and various other sections of law relating to immigration. Id. at § 4(a.)-(f.).

The most obvious problem with this new language would be that, as the above-quoted press release flagged, it does not require a conviction, only that one be “charged with” or “arrested for” the crimes in question. Mandatory detention following an arrest or charge that need not even lead to a conviction would be bad enough if it only applied to people who one would otherwise reasonably expect to be placed in removal proceedings, since even they are entitled under the Constitution to due process of law—and there has been at least one recent and notorious incident of an asylum-seeker being accused of a more serious crime than shoplifting before being exonerated. But for reasons that may be less obvious, the Laken Riley Act would go significantly farther even that that.

One problem is the breadth of the inadmissibility grounds which, together with any charge or arrest for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting, would trigger the mandatory detention. The reference to one “inadmissible under paragraph (6)(A). . . of section 212(a)” would cover anyone who entered without inspection, even if they have since been, for example, granted asylum, at least as the law has been interpreted by the Board of Immigration Appeals. INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i) states that “An alien present in the United States without being admitted or paroled . . . is inadmissible”, and the BIA held in Matter of V-X-, 26 I&N Dec. 147 (BIA 2013), that a grant of asylum is not an “admission” for these purposes, leaving asylees subject to the grounds of inadmissibility (although with the proviso that they cannot be removed unless their asylum status is terminated). That scenario would at least bear some distant, tenuous resemblance to the cases that the authors of H.R. 7511 presumably thought they were trying to address, although the thought of an asylee, granted permission to stay in the United States for safety from persecution, being subject to mandatory detention due to potentially false charges of theft or shoplifting, is nonetheless horrifying. But the reach of H.R. 7511’s cited grounds of inadmissibility is even broader, and stranger, than this.

The ground of inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(7), which applies to documentation requirements such as having a proper immigrant or nonimmigrant visa or passport, was presumably included in the Laken Riley Act order to capture parolees, as Laken Riley’s alleged murderer had been paroled into the United States. While the bill’s authors may have had in mind those who first arrive in the United States on parole, however, the language of the bill is broad enough to cover those who use advance parole to leave and re-enter the United States while they have a pending application for an immigration benefit, most commonly an application for adjustment of status to that of a Lawful Permanent Resident (green card holder). They, too, will upon their return be technically inadmissible for lack of an immigrant visa, until their applications for adjustment of status are granted, and so INA § 212(a)(7) is the ground of inadmissibility under which they would be charged if placed in removal proceedings. Under the Laken Riley Act, therefore, an applicant for adjustment of status who travels on advance parole, and is later incorrectly charged with or arrested for theft or shoplifting, would need to be detained by immigration authorities until the completion of those removal proceedings. If visa numbers had become unavailable since the filing of that adjustment application (what is commonly known as “retrogression”), the proceedings could potentially drag on for years until a visa number became available again, and during all of that time, the Laken Riley Act would mandate detention of the adjustment applicant.

Another problem with the structure of the Laken Riley Act is that while a “conviction” under immigration law has been defined to exclude many juvenile delinquency proceedings, as explained by the BIA in Matter of Devison, 22 I&N Dec. 1362 (BIA 2000), there is no such case law regarding an arrest or charge, nor does the text of the Laken Riley Act include any such carve-out. Thus, the Laken Riley Act would apparently subject even a teenager charged with shoplifting under juvenile delinquency procedures to mandatory immigration detention, if that teenager had previously entered without inspection or traveled on advance parole, and had not yet become a Lawful Permanent Resident.

It gets worse. If state authorities had not considered it worthwhile to detain the falsely accused adjustment applicant or teenage shoplifter while sorting out a minor criminal charge, section 3(3) of the Laken Riley Act would mandate that DHS “effectively and expeditiously take custody of the alien.” And if DHS did not do this, according to section 4(b) of the Laken Riley Act, the attorney general of any state that could claim at least $100 in damage could sue them “to obtain appropriate injunctive relief.” So an attempt by DHS to be somewhat reasonable in enforcing these overly broad criteria under unjust circumstances would simply lead to litigation, and possibly a court order to more rigorously enforce the Laken Riley Act’s peculiar requirements.

The author’s own Representative in Congress, Jerrold Nadler, was quoted by CNN as having described the actions of Republicans in putting forward the Laken Riley Act as “exploiting [Laken Riley’s] death for a partisan stunt” and “throwing together legislation to target immigrants in an election year.” That description appears accurate. The legislation having been thrown together hastily, to exploit Laken Riley’s tragic death for partisan purposes, may help explain why the House would have passed legislation mandating the indefinite detention of falsely accused adjustment applicants and teenage shoplifters. But it does not excuse it.

David Isaacson

Canada Begins New Program for Holders of U.S. H-1B Visas – And They Really Do Mean H-1B Visas, Not H-1B Status, Although Family Members Need Not Have Any Kind of H-4

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Update: on July 18, 2023, IRCC posted an announcement that the cap of 10,000 applications for the new program had been reached on July 17 and the program was closed. So the below post may be only of theoretical interest unless Canada reopens the program at a later date.

In a previous blog post, I described a new Canadian program for holders of H-1B visas, and flagged the issue that the initial announcement of the program and backgrounder issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) referred to “H-1B specialty occupation visa holders in the US” in such a way as to suggest that an actual H-1B visa stamp was necessary. As I explained in that post, there are multiple circumstances under which one can be in valid H-1B status, but not possess an H-1B visa stamp as such, such as in the event of a change of status or extension of stay. At the time, it was unclear whether this seeming requirement for a visa stamp was merely an imprecision in language. There were also other issues left open by the announcement.

IRCC has now published the application guidance for the new program, and has also posted the underlying temporary public policy established under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. (The temporary public policy is dated June 23, but was only made public on its effective date of July 16.) Unfortunately, it appears from the temporary public policy and the application guidance that IRCC will indeed be requiring principal applicants for an open work permit under the new program to have an H-1B visa stamp, and not merely H-1B status, as well as reside in the United States. The good news is that there is no similar requirement that dependents of principal applicants have either H-4 visas or H-4 status, and indeed some family members who could not qualify for H-4 status will be eligible for the new program.

Part 1, section 1(iii.) of the temporary public policy specifies as one of the conditions to be met that an applicant for a work permit under the policy “holds an H-1B (Specialty Occupations category) visa issued by the United States of America that was valid at the time the work permit application referred to in (i) was submitted”. This reference to a visa, like the one in the original IRCC announcement, could potentially be read as ambiguous, but the application guidance specifies that a visa is a separate document required in addition to an H-1B approval notice and potentially Form I-94. The guidance states:
To apply, you’ll need
• a copy of your current H-1B visa
• Form I-797/I797B, Notice of Action
o This is a letter from the US government confirming your H-1B application was approved.
• proof that you live in the US, such as
o Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record
o a recent utility bill
o an income tax report
o any document that proves you live in the US

The separate bullet point for “a copy of your current H-1B visa” implies that neither the Notice of Action showing approval of an H-1B application, nor a Form I-94, will suffice without the visa. It is not clear why IRCC has imposed this requirement, but it appears that they have done so.

One piece of good news, however, is that there is no similar requirement for family members of principal H-1B applicants. Indeed, not only are family members of principal applicants not required to have an H-4 visa stamp, they are not even required to have H-4 status, or be eligible for H-4 status. As long as they are a family member of an approved principal applicant under the definition contained in subsection 1(3) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), and reside in the United States, that is sufficient.

The definition of a family member under subsection 1(3) of the IRPR is somewhat broader than the definition of a family member for H-4 purposes under U.S. law. The IRPR definition includes “the spouse or common-law partner of the person” (here, of the principal applicant); “a dependent child of the person or of the person’s spouse or common-law partner”; or “a dependent child of a dependent child” of the person or the spouse or common-law partner. Thus, common-law partners of H-1B visa holders, children of common-law partners of H-1B visa holders, and some dependent grandchildren of H-1B visa holders and their spouses or common-law partners may be eligible for the new Canadian program although they would not be eligible for H-4 status.

Moreover, the definition of a child for these purposes does not cut off at age 21, as it does for H-4 purposes under INA 101(b)(1), 8 U.S.C. 1101(b)(1). Rather, under section 2 of the IRPR, a dependent child includes one who “is less than 22 years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner, or . . . is 22 years of age or older and has depended substantially on the financial support of the parent since before attaining the age of 22 years and is unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.” Thus, some 21-year-old children or disabled older children of H-1Bs, who would not be eligible for H-4 status, may be eligible for the new Canadian program, even if they have had to change to some other nonimmigrant status or are stuck in limbo as derivative beneficiaries of long-pending applications for adjustment of status, as long as they reside in the United States. 

Another open question I had raised in my prior blog post was how IRCC was going to allocate the 10,000 available numbers for principal applicants under the new program. Now that the effective date has passed without any announcement of a lottery or similar allocation mechanism, it appears that IRCC is simply going to allocate the numbers to the first 10,000 approved applications.

A third open question at the time of the announcement resulted from language on an IRCC guidance page for high-skilled workers that suggested applicants might want to consider the new program if “your US work visa is expiring soon”. Fortunately, however, nothing in the temporary public policy or the application guidance indicates that any particular date of H-1B expiration is required. The guidance page notwithstanding, even someone with, say, two and a half years left out of an H-1B petition and visa with three years validity, should qualify for the new program.

The new Canadian program has attracted significant positive media attention, which has understandably focused on the broader picture rather than details such as the distinction between H-1B visas and H-1B status. I do not mean to suggest, by highlighting this seemingly arbitrary distinction, that it should overshadow the other positive aspects of the program, or the implications that the program has for U.S. immigration policy. And it is good to see that IRCC will not be requiring dependent family members to meet U.S. requirements for an H-4 in order to benefit from the new program. But it would be even better if IRCC could remove the arbitrary exclusion of those who have changed status to H-1B or otherwise lack a valid H-1B visa, and open up the temporary program to H-1B nonimmigrants who reside in the United States in H-1B status even if they do not have H-1B visa stamps.

David Isaacson

Canada Announces New Program for Holders of U.S. H-1B Visas – But Do They Mean Visas, or H-1B Nonimmigrant Status?

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In a news release on June 27 issued following remarks at the Collision 2023 conference, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, announced several new measures as part of “Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy.” One that will likely be of interest to many foreign workers in the United States is “the creation of an open work permit stream for H-1B specialty occupation visa holders in the US to apply for a Canadian work permit, and study or work permit options for their accompanying family members”.

This program and other parts of the Tech Talent Strategy have already attracted significant media attention. An open work permit, allowing employment by any employer in Canada rather than the specific sponsor required in the United States for an H-1B, may be an attractive prospect for many H-1B visa holders. The availability of work permits for accompanying family members is likely to be attractive to many as well, particularly those whose H-4 spouses would not be eligible for an Employment Authorization Document in the United States. Some important details, however, remain unclarified.

One such detail is the question of exactly who will be eligible for the new program. According to the announcement, “The new H1-B specialty occupation visa holder work permit will be available as of July 16, 2023. Approved applicants will receive an open work permit of up to three years in duration, which means they will be able to work for almost any employer anywhere in Canada. Their spouses and dependants will also be eligible to apply for a temporary resident visa, with a work or study permit, as needed.” The backgrounder issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also refers to “H-1B specialty occupation visa holders in the US,” at more than one point. Read literally, this would suggest that one will need to possess an H-1B visa stamp in order to obtain the new Canadian open work permit.

Not all H-1B nonimmigrants in the United States, however, will hold a valid H-1B visa stamp, or any H-1B visa stamp at all (even an expired one). Rather, there are multiple circumstances under which one can be in H-1B status, but not possess an H-1B visa as such.

Under section 248 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), also known as 8 U.S.C. § 1258, and the regulations at 8 C.F.R. Part 248, someone who has been admitted to the United States as a nonimmigrant may apply to change status to a different type of nonimmigrant while still within the United States. This process does not require obtaining a new nonimmigrant visa. A new visa is only required if the person wishes to leave the United States and re-enter in their new nonimmigrant status. (Even then, someone making a brief trip to Canada or Mexico of less than 30 days, who has changed status, can sometimes utilize their old visa under a process known as automatic visa revalidation, pursuant to 22 C.F.R. § 41.112(d)(1)-(2).) Thus, someone who entered the United States with, for example, an F-1 student visa, and has never left the United States since then, may have changed their status to H-1B, and may have been issued a Form I-94 acknowledging their H-1B status as part of the approval notice of their application for change of status, but may not have an H-1B visa.

Even if someone did come to the United States with a valid H-1B visa at some point in time, regulations at 8 C.F.R. § 214.1(c) allow for an extension of stay as a nonimmigrant beyond the period of initial admission. In this way, as well, someone whose H-1B visa, and initial period of H-1B admission, have already expired, may nevertheless be in valid H-1B nonimmigrant status. But if such a person does not travel outside the United States during the period of the extension, they need not get a new H-1B visa.

Nor are these the only ways that it is possible to be in valid H-1B status but not have a valid H-1B visa. According to 22 C.F.R. § 41.112(a), “The period of visa validity has no relation to the period of time the immigration authorities at a port of entry may authorize the alien to stay in the United States.” Rather, as that same regulation explains, “The period of validity of a nonimmigrant visa is the period during which the alien may use it in making application for admission.” And that period is often defined by “reciprocity”, that is, the time period for which a similar visa would be issued to a U.S. citizen by a particular foreign country. The State Department’s reciprocity schedule for the People’s Republic of China, for example, indicates that an H-1B visa will only be issued for 12 months. Thus, if a Chinese citizen is issued an H-1B visa valid for one year because of this reciprocity schedule, but has an approved H-1B petition valid for three years, he or she may be admitted in H-1B status until the end of the three years of petition validity, despite having a visa that will expire sooner than that. Even during the latter part of this initial admission, such a person will have H-1B status but no H-1B visa.

It is not clear why IRCC would want to exclude such H-1B nonimmigrants from the new work permit program, despite their lack of an H-1B visa. Based on the language of the announcement and IRCC backgrounder, however, it appears that they would be excluded. One can hope that this may have simply been an imprecision in language that can be corrected by the time the final program is officially created, but it is at least an open question.

Another open question is exactly how IRCC is going to allocate the limited supply of the new work permits. The announcement and IRCC backgrounder state that “This measure will remain in effect for one year, or until IRCC receives 10,000 applications. Only principal applicants, and not their accompanying family members, will count toward the application cap.” It appears from this that IRCC may simply allocate the 10,000 available numbers for principal applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

As has historically come up in the H-1B context itself, however, allocating a sufficiently in-demand supply of application numbers on a purely first-come, first-served basis can result in chaos when more than the allotted number attempt to apply on the first possible day, and this can sometimes lead to the institution of a lottery system. Canada has historically sometimes utilized a similar lottery system, for example to allocate the limited number of opportunities for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents and grandparents for permanent residence, at least in some years. On the other hand, some Canadian immigration programs with limited allocations – including, at times, the parents and grandparents sponsorship program – have been operated on a purely first-come, first-served basis, even if that rewarded those who could (or whose legal representatives could) most quickly file applications as soon as a program opened. We can hope that IRCC will make clear, before July 16, which approach they will be following for this new program.

A third open question is whether there will be any requirement linked to the length of remaining time in H-1B status available to an applicant. The announcement and IRCC backgrounder do not suggest so, but the IRCC webpage guidance to high-skilled workers more generally, which contains a subsection on the “H-1B visa holders” program, says to “Choose this program if . . . your United States work visa is expiring soon.” Hopefully, this language may be just a prediction regarding who might find the program attractive, rather than a requirement of imminent H-1B expiration. Such a requirement could screen out relatively new H-1B nonimmigrants who would rather have an open work permit in Canada accompanied by work permits for their family members, and there is no obvious policy reason for such a requirement.

The official legal basis for the new work permits, which will likely be in the form of a temporary public policy or perhaps a Ministerial Instruction, has not yet been made public by IRCC. Once the official temporary public policy or Ministerial instruction is published, it should be possible to answer the open questions discussed above. A sequel to this blog post will likely be published at that time.

Cyrus Mehta & Kaitlyn Box

Making Sense of USCIS’s Twitter Posts on Applying for Jobs or Attending Interviews While in Visitor Visa Status

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

On April 11, 2023, USCIS’s  post on Twitter  created a great deal of interest and some confusion. The tweet indicated that nonimmigrants can apply for jobs or attend job interviews while in B-1 or B-2 status. The post was the subject of numerous press articles, with some incorrectly interpreting it as a change in USCIS policy or authorization for B-1/B-2 visa holders to work in the United States.

The tweet read as follows: “Many people have asked if they can look for a new job while in B-1 or B-2 status. The answer is, yes. Searching for employment and interviewing for a position are permissible B-1 or B-2 activities.”

The USCIS clarified its response in a series of three additional tweets stating:

“If you are in B-1 or B-2 status, please remember you may not engage in employment within the domestic labor market (also known as “local labor for hire”) while in B-1 status or engage in any employment while in B-2 status”

“Before beginning any new employment, a petition and request for a change of status from B-1 or B-2 to an employment-authorized status must be approved, and the new status must take effect.”

“Alternatively, if the change of status request is denied or the petition for new employment requested consular or port of entry notification, the individual must depart the U.S. and be admitted in an employment-authorized classification before beginning the new employment.”

A screen shot of these tweets, the first of which received over 130,000 views, is reproduced below.

 

USCIS Tweet

 

USCIS also linked to a page on its website entitled “Options for Nonimmigrant Workers Following Termination of Employment” that includes the following guidance:

Q: Can I look for a new job while in B-1 or B-2 status?

A: Yes, searching for employment and interviewing for a position are permissible B-1 or B-2 activities. By statute, however, you may not engage in employment within the domestic labor market (also known as “local labor for hire”) while in B-1 status or engage in any employment while in B-2 status. Before beginning any new employment, a petition and request for a change of status from B-1 or B-2 to an employment-authorized status must be approved, and the new status must take effect. Alternatively, if the change of status request is denied or the petition for new employment requested consular or port of entry notification, the individual must depart the United States and be admitted in an employment-authorized classification before beginning the new employment.

In a previous blog, we suggested that terminated noncitizen workers who needed to remain in the U.S. beyond the 60-day grace period could file a change of status to B-2.

9 FAM 402.2-5(B) lists activities that a B-1 visitor may engage in in the U.S., which include negotiating contracts, consulting with business associates, and participating in conferences or seminars. Visitors for pleasure may enter the United States for purposes including tourism, making social visits to friends or relatives, receiving medical treatment, and participating in social or religious activities pursuant to 9 FAM 402.2-4(A). The full scope of activities that are permissible under a B-1 or B-2 are often broader, however.  So long as a noncitizen demonstrates the requisite ties to their home country and nonimmigrant intent, entering the U.S. on a B-1 or B-2 visa to attend interviews or apply for jobs was permissible even before USCIS issued its recent guidance on Twitter.

While it is commendable that the USCIS has correctly outlined this option for nonimmigrants who have been laid off, it remains to be seen how CBP will react if B-1/B-2 visa holders state that the purpose of their trip is attending a job interview or searching for employment in the U.S. CBP has broad powers to place visitors in expedited removal proceedings without a hearing if they determine that the person’s visit to the US is not consistent with the visitor admission. They can either initiate expedited removal if there is allegedly fraud or misrepresentation pursuant to INA 212(a)(6)(C) or lack of entry documents under INA 212(a)(7). CBP officials have been known to search phones and other electronic devices for hints that the person is looking for a job in the US and may not return timely.  Other less-common uses of the B-1 visa, such as “B-1 in lieu of H-1B”, which allows  individuals who would otherwise qualify for an H-1B visa to the United States for a limited period of time, have been the subject of ambiguity and legal challenges, as discussed in a prior blog.

The State Department could also interpret this differently from the USCIS and may deny a visitor visa to one who wishes to attend interviews or apply for jobs in the US. A US consular officer also has broad powers to refuse a visa under INA 214(b) that presumes that most nonimmigrant visa applicants are immigrants unless they can establish that they are entitled to the nonimmigrant status.

It would be nice if the USCIS, CBP and DOS coordinate the messaging on attending interviews or looking for jobs while someone is in the US as a visitor, but such coordination between the three agencies is rare and maybe it is best for potential visitors to obtain appropriate legal advice rather than rely on the USCIS Twitter feed  and be prepared to advocate to the  relevant authority that they will remain bona fide visitors even if they will be looking for jobs or attending interviews.

[This blog is for informational purposes and should not be relied on as a substitute for legal advice]

*Kaitlyn Box is a Senior Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.

Cyrus Mehta

Texas’s Legal Challenge to Biden’s Humanitarian Parole Program is Both Flawed and Inhuman

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

President Biden’s humanitarian parole program is a wonderful example of how executive action can reshape immigration policy in the face of Congressional inaction.  It allows people fleeing troubled spots to come to the US in an orderly manner. The program initially implemented for Ukranian and Venezuelan nationals will allow 30,000 qualifying nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to be admitted to the United States every month for up to two years. These individuals will be eligible for work authorization, and must have a U.S. sponsor who agrees to provide them with financial support for the duration of the parole period.

But alas, on January 24, 2023, Texas and nineteen other states filed a suit challenging the Biden administration’s implementation of the program. The plaintiff states argue that the “Department’s parole power is exceptionally limited, having been curtailed by Congress multiple times, and can be used ‘only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit’”. The complaint further alleges that the program “amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so”, and asserts that the Biden Administration failed to engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA).

Notably, the complaint refers to individuals entering the United States under humanitarian parole as “illegal aliens”. Page 3 of the complaint, for example, asserts that “[t]he Department does not have the authority to invite more than a third of a million more illegal aliens into the United States annually as it has announced with this program.” However, the plaintiff states’ characterization of parolees as “illegal aliens” is entirely erroneous. INA § 212(d)(5) provides the legal authority for humanitarian parole, Biden’s expansion of the program notwithstanding. This provision authorizes humanitarian parole on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “significant public benefit” for individuals who present neither a security risk nor a risk of absconding. Because humanitarian parole is a longstanding program authorized by the INA, individuals who enter the U.S. pursuant to this program cannot thus be accurately characterized as “illegal aliens”.

The complaint also refers to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Noncitizen Respondents in U.S. Census Bureau Survey Data, which provides demographic information about unauthorized immigrants living in each state. The complaint relies on this data to support the idea that the humanitarian parole program would impose a financial burden on the plaintiff states due to the costs involved in supporting undocumented immigrants. However, the MPI survey includes TPS recipients, DACA recipients, and individuals who entered the United States without authorization but have since applied for asylum. The MPI figures regarding unauthorized populations each state include noncitizens who may also be authorized to remain in the U.S., and may have work authorization, even if they were previously undocumented. The complaint’s reliance on this data to illustrate the burden that the humanitarian parole program would impose on states thus appears to be misplaced.

Further, the complaint asserts that the humanitarian parole program violates the requirements laid out in INA § 212(d)(5) that the benefit be granted only “on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or for a significant public benefit”. However, even a narrow reading of this provision does not indicate that there is a numerical limit on the benefit. Even if a large group of noncitizens, in this case 360,000 individuals, are granted humanitarian parole, this does not mean that the benefit will not be granted on a case-by-case basis, or that the justifications of “urgent humanitarian reasons” or “a significant public benefit” will not be present. Each applicant can still be reviewed on an individual basis, and their applications can denied if they do not meet the requirements for humanitarian parole.

The humanitarian parole program is based on the Uniting for Ukraine program, which has not been challenged by this lawsuit. The programs bear many similarities, as well. The Uniting for Ukraine program also requires that individuals who are granted parole can be supported by a U.S. sponsor who files an I-134. We thus question whether Texas and the other plaintiff states’ true objection is not a perceived violation of INA § 212(d)(5), but rather the fact that the expanded program will benefit Cuban, Nicaraguan, Haitian, and Venezuelan noncitizens rather than Ukrainians. Other humanitarian programs intended to benefit large groups of noncitizens have also not been challenged, including the Haitian Family Reunification Parole Program that allows certain beneficiaries of I-130 petitions from Haiti to be paroled into the U.S. pursuant to INA § 212(d)(5), and the Filipino World War II Veterans Program, which also benefits direct and derivative beneficiaries of I-130 petitions.

In addition to being consistent with the “case by case basis” requirement, there is clearly an urgent humanitarian reason for this program given the large number of people from these countries who have been coming to the U.S. to seek asylum. The humanitarian parole program provides an orderly path for people from these countries to come to the U.S. legally without being aided by smugglers and without needing to take perilous paths to the U.S. that can result in death. Though not without flaws, namely the fact that it stands to be implemented alongside the draconian Title 42 policy, the program provides a model for paroling large groups of noncitizens into the U.S. in an organized manner and providing them with work authorization. Even if the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole program is ultimately struck down, the Biden administration has the authority to continue to grant the benefit to individuals pursuant to INA § 212(d)(5). It is hoped that the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold the federal district court’s  lifting of Title 42 restrictions in this scenario, and allow noncitizens to apply for asylum under Title 8, pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, and be able to utilize the CBP One app to schedule an appointment to make a claim for asylum at the border in an orderly manner.

Texas has been serially challenging Biden’s executive actions that have been designed to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of people. These lawsuits are designed to hurt human beings from DACA recipients to those fleeing persecution under the new humanitarian program. While plaintiffs claim that the administration has no authority to implement these programs on a mass scale, they have never claimed that exercising discretion on an individualized basis is unlawful. If it is lawful for the government to exercise discretion in paroling one person into the U.S. or deferring the removal of that person, then it seems illogical to deny the administration the ability to exercising its discretion in relation to a large group. How big should the size of the group be before the government’s valid exercise of discretion is no longer deemed valid? Is the Uniting for Ukraine program that has remained unscathed thus far too big or the right size?  According to a Migration Policy Report, “[m]idway through its term,  the Biden administration, midway through its term,  has notched some significant advances. The quiet transformation of immigration enforcement in the U.S. interior, use of parole and other mechanisms to grant humanitarian protection, and restoration of legal immigration to pre-pandemic levels will have a lasting legacy.”  It is hoped that at some point five justices in the Supreme Court will see through the absurdities of these lawsuits and preclude states like Texas from running and ruining federal immigration policy!

(This blog is for informational purposes and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal advice).

*Kaitlyn Box is a Senior Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.

Cyrus Mehta

The Tension Between State Wage Transparency Laws and Labor Certification Recruitment

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

In the past year, several states and jurisdictions across the U.S. have begun enacting wage transparency laws, and others are poised to go into effect in the new future. Aimed at increasing wage transparency for job seekers, these laws typically require that job postings disclose the salary that the employer plans to offer applicants. Colorado’s law went into effect on January 1, 2021, and requires employers with at least one employee in Colorado to list the applicable hourly wage or salary for the position. New York City’s law went into effect on November 1, 2022, and requires employers with 4 or more employees, at least 1 of which is located in New York City, to disclose wage information in job advertisements. Washington State and California have enacted wage transparency laws effective January 1, 2023, with both applying only to employers with 15 or more employees. Other jurisdictions are considering implementing similar legislation in future. Interestingly, some wage transparency laws could be interpreted to apply even to remote positions that could be performed from one of the impacted jurisdictions, even if the employer does not currently have a presence in that state. Penalties in New York, for example, can require offending employer to “pay monetary damages to affected employees, amend advertisements and postings, create or update policies, conduct training, provide notices of rights to employees or applicants, and engage in other forms of affirmative relief”, although the city will not assess a penalty on first time offenders who correct the violation within 30 days of receiving notice. Civil penalties of $250,000 per violation can be assessed on repeat offenders. Although Colorado indicated that it would not enforce its wage transparency law against PERM recruitment, it has not formalized this guidance in writing, and other jurisdictions have not offered similar assurances

In the permanent labor certification (PERM) context, these laws present a host of new issues for employers to consider. The PERM regulations 20 CFR §656.17 and 20 CFR §656.18 require only the Notice of Filing (NOF) to list the wage or wage range offered for the position, but employers may now find that they are required to disclose a salary range on newspaper and website advertisements that would typically not have included this information. Although Colorado indicated that it would not enforce its wage transparency law against PERM recruitment, other jurisdictions have not offered similar assurances. See AILA Doc. No. 21040231. Interestingly, some jurisdictions’ wage transparency laws may apply to advertisements for remote positions that could be performed from that location, even if the employer otherwise has no presence or current employees in the jurisdiction.

Further complications arise when an employer wishes to list a salary range in its PERM recruitment in order to comply with a state or local wage transparency law, and the lower end of that falls below the prevailing wage determined by the Department of Labor (DOL) or if the wage range in the advertisement materials does not conform with the wage stated in the Notice of Filing. This scenario may be compliant with the relevant wage transparency law, but it could create issues in the PERM context. As yet, the DOL has not issued any guidance on the interaction between wage transparency laws and PERM regulations, and the Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) has not directly addressed this issue. In the meantime, analyzing how the DOL has viewed wage ranges that partially fell below the prevailing wage can provide helpful guidance.

As mentioned above, the PERM regulations do not require recruitment to list a salary at all, with the exception of the NOF. 20 CFR § 656.10(d)(4) states: “If an application is filed under § 656.17, the notice must contain the information required for advertisements by § 656.17(f), must state the rate of pay (which must equal or exceed the prevailing wage entered by the SWA on the prevailing wage request form), and must contain the information required by paragraph (d)(3) of this section”. Employers who do list a wage or wage range in advertisements in newspapers or professional journals are required to ensure that these advertisements do “[n]ot contain a wage rate lower than the prevailing wage rate” pursuant to 20 CFR § 656.17(f)(5). Furthermore, 20 CFR § 656.17(f)(7) states that that advertisement shall “not contain wages or terms and conditions of employment that are less favorable than those offered to the alien.”

If a wage range is indicated in the advertisements, it is important that the Notice of Filing (NOF) also contains the same wage range. BALCA has held that employers violate 20 CFR § 656.17(f)(7) if the NOF contains a wage lower than the wage offered the foreign worker. In Gallup McKinley County Public Schools, 2016-PER-00646 (BALCA April 16, 2021), the wage range offered to a Middle School Teacher was $50,273 to $57,402. The NOF identified the wage as $52,000 per year. The BALCA upheld the Certifying Officer’s denial since the wage range suggested that the foreign national employee would be paid a wage up to $57,402 and higher than the wage indicated in in the NOF. BALCA reasoned that because the NOF stated a wage lower than the highest wage in the wage range, the “NOF did not disclose that opportunity to the Employer’s other workers or other interested persons who may have viewed the NOF.”

The employer cited a pre-PERM case University of North Carolina, 1990-INA-00422 (June 9, 1992) establishing that 20 CFR § 656.17(f) was satisfied if the wage offered is no less than the wage offered at the time of the foreign worker’s initial hire. In University of North Carolina, the university indicated a salary of $23,100 in all of its advertisements for a research associate position, which exceeded the prevailing wage determination and reflected the noncitizen’s salary at the time. By the time the PERM application itself was filed, though, the noncitizen’s salary had risen to $30,000. BALCA overturned the denial of the PERM application, reasoning that 20 CFR § 656.21(g)(8) requires the employer to advertise a wage that is no less than what the noncitizen was offered at the time of their initial hire, not the offered salary at the time the PERM application is filed. However, in Gallup KcKinley, BALCA held that subsequent panels have rejected the reasoning in University of North Carolina as US workers could potentially pass on the job opportunity because of the difference in the lower wage in the advertisement and the higher wage privately offered to the noncitizen. See, e.g., Sensus Metering Systems, 2010-PER-00849 (July 20, 2011). In Sensus Metering Systems, the employer listed a higher offered wage on the ETA 9089 than the NOF, and the employee had only gained about 7 months of additional experience with the employer since the position was advertised, rather than 3-5 years as in University of North Carolina. BALCA has also upheld denials of PERM applications where the lower end of a wage range as listed in the advertisements fell below the salary offered to the noncitizen on the ETA 9089. See Om Shri Ganesh, LLC, 2016-PER-00024 (July 28, 2016); Red Apple Child Dev. Ctr., 2009-PER-00472 (June 29, 2010); Lakeview Farms, 2011-PER-01679 (Sept. 4, 2014); Charles E. Churchwell, 2012-PER-01662 (Mar. 2, 2016). Sensus Metering Systems and its progeny illustrate the importance of ensuring that a consistent offered wage range is listed across the NOF, advertisements, and the PERM application itself.

In cases where recruitment has inadvertently included a salary range that fell below the prevailing wage, there have been a few decisions where BALCA has been relatively forgiving. In Re IAC Search & Media, Inc., BALCA Case No.: 2011-PER-00845 (May 2, 2012), for example, involved an employer who inadvertently listed a salary lower than the prevailing wage in the ETA Form 9089 and in a website advertisement. BALCA held that employer had actually offered a salary that exceeded the prevailing wage, so the typographical error was not grounds for denial of the PERM. Similarly, in Nancy Adelman, 2011-PER-02464 (BALCA 2011), BALCA overturned a denial of a PERM application on the grounds that the “prevailing wage rate and validity period listed in Section F of the Employer’s ETA Form 9089 did not match the information contained in the PWD submitted by the [e]mployer” as part of an audit response. BALCA held that a labor certification cannot be denied due to a typographical error unless the result is a violation of the PERM regulations, and no violation had occurred here since the offered wage had actually exceeded the prevailing wage. However, in Marcel Cleaners, Inc., 2009-PER-00395 (BALCA February 2010), BALCA affirmed the denial of a labor certification when the job order listed a wage range, the lower end of which was less than the prevailing wage. BALCA reasoned that 20 CFR § 656.17(f)(5) expressly specifies that advertisements placed in newspapers and professional journals must not contain a wage rate lower than the prevailing wage.

Finally, employers must also be careful about State Workforce Agency job orders whose algorithms may require a different formulation of the wage. Thus, a wage range of $0-$70,000 (depending on experience) will not be in compliance with the regulation. This issue also came up in Gallup McKinley County Public Schools, although BALCA focused its denial on the discrepancy between the wage range in the advertisement and in the single wage indicated in the NOF.  Practitioners can take some comfort in  A Cut Above Ceramic Tile, 2010-PER-00224 (Mar. 8, 2012) where BALCA held that based on the history of the PERM regulations and the plain language of 20 C.F.R. §656.17(e)(2)(i), proof of publication of the State Workforce Agency (“SWA”) job order is not required supporting documentation in the event of a DOL audit of the labor certification application.

Wage ranges in labor certification recruitment always add more complexity and risk to an already hyper technical process.   The DOL will likely continue to deny labor certification if there are discrepancies, such as when the salary range falls below the prevailing wage at the lower end (notwithstanding some BALCA decisions going the other way) or if the wage range stated in the advertisements is different from the wage reflected in the NOF. The DOL has said that employers must comply with PERM rules. If employers need to comply with local wage transparency laws it would be prudent for the employer to comply with those laws too during labor certification recruitment but DOL is not concerned about what employers must do under local laws. Employers need to now tread even more carefully when they are compelled to state a wage range under state transparency laws taking into account all the relevant considerations regarding wage ranges established under DOL rules and BALCA decisions.

(This blog is for informational purposes and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal advice).

*Kaitlyn Box is a Senior Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.

 

 

Cyrus Mehta

2022 in Perspective from The Insightful Immigration Blog  

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By Cyrus D. Mehta & Jessica Paszko*

Thank you for reading and supporting The Insightful Immigration Blog.  Listed below are the top 10 most viewed blogs that were published in 2022.  While these are the 10 most viewed blogs, each blog is a carefully crafted gem, and we invite you to read all of them.

Our blogs covered several major themes. Federal courts continued to block President Biden’s immigration policies especially on prosecutorial discretion.

DACA continues to remain in the balance. Our blogs covered all the developments on DACA and even contrasted the Fifth Circuit decision in Texas v. US with the DC Circuit decision upholding the STEM rule.

Delays remain endemic especially for Indian born beneficiaries in the EB-2 and EB-3 backlogs. Our blogs not only commented on the backlogs but also provided strategies for backlogged beneficiaries including left behind derivative beneficiaries.

Our blogs also addressed the current termination of H-1B workers and strategies for them to remain in status as well as suggestions on how Biden could ameliorate the hardships caused due to falling out of status.

Our blogs also covered immigration relief as a result of Russia’s aggression of Ukraine,  focused on unique ethical issues arising from Patel v. Garland and the dismissal of removal cases as well as covered evolving standards in the EB-1 and STEM areas for O-1 petitions.

We also addressed important developments concerning labor certification procedure and EB-5.

Cyrus Mehta along with Kaitlyn Box and Jessica Paszko were the key contributors to most of the blogs, always endeavoring through their passion for writing  to ensure that each blog remains an important reference and resource to practitioners, policy wonks  and laypersons. We also thank guest writer Professor Stacy Caplow for contributing two excellent blogs, here and here as well as David Isaacson for always being willing to vet our ideas when writing new blogs. We will ensure that our blogs continue to remain insightful in the immigration law field as we enter 2023. Thank you for your support.

Our top-ten most read blogs in 2022 were:

  1. Frequently Asked Questions on Transferring the Underlying Basis of an I-485 application from an I-140 petition under India EB-3 to an I-140 under India EB-2
  2. H-1B Extension Beyond Six Years Will Not Be Granted If Priority Date is Current and Green Card is Not Applied for Within One Year
  3. Solutions for the Family Member Who Did Not Get the Employment Based Green Card with the Principal Family Member on September 30, 2022
  4. Huh? Why Should Requesting a Transfer of Underlying Basis with an I-485 Supplement J Restart the 180-Day Portability Clock?
  5. Will USCIS Waste Precious Employment Based Green Cards as it Announces Push to Use as Many as Possible by September 30?
  6. Maintenance of H-1B/L-1 Status after Travelling Back On Advance Parole: Executive Legerdemain under the Cronin Memo
  7. I-485 Supplement J Should Not Be the Only Vehicle to Express Portability
  8. Ethical Dimensions of Patel v. Garland
  9. Guide to Terminated Noncitizen Workers: Preserving Nonimmigrant Status and Permanent Residency Options
  10. USCIS Guidance Enabling STEM Gradates to Obtain EB-1 Should Apply Equally to EB-1 Extraordinary Petitions for Green Cards

*Jessica Paszko is an Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta &  Partners PLLC. She graduated with a J.D. degree from Brooklyn Law School in 2021.

 

 

 

Cyrus Mehta

A Practical Guide to Spending the 3 and 10 Year Bars in the US

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

 On June 24, 2022, USCIS issued a Policy Alert on inadmissibility under § 212(a)(9)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)  This provision states that a noncitizen was unlawfully present in the United States for a period of more than 180 days but less than 1 year will be inadmissible to the United States for 3 years after departure or removal, while an individual who has accrued more than one year of unlawful presence will be barred for 10 years. The Policy alert, which is included in Volume 8 of the USCIS Policy Manual,  clarified that a noncitizen who seeks admission after the 3- or 10- year bar has expired “is not inadmissible under INA § 212(a)(9)(B) even if the noncitizen returned to the United States, with or without authorization, during the statutory 3-year or 10-year period.” Further, “a noncitizen’s location during the statutory 3- or 10-year period and the noncitizen’s manner of return to the United States during the statutory period are “irrelevant” for purposes of determining inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(9)(B)”, the alert stated. USCIS stated that noncitizens whose applications were denied because they had entered, or remained in, the U.S. during the period of inadmissibility may be able to file Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion to request that their applications be reopened.

Whether noncitizens can spend the 3-and 10-year bars in the United States has long been a source of uncertainty. In a 2008 blog, we discussed this issue in the context of a July 14, 2006 letter from Robert Divine, former Chief Counsel of the USCIS, to attorneys David P. Berry and Ronald Y. Wada. See AILA Doc. No. 08082930. In the letter, Mr. Divine confirmed that the 3-year inadmissibility period continues to run even if the noncitizen subsequently returned to the US on parole under INA §212(d)(5). The letter included the caveat that a noncitizen who is unlawfully present in the U.S., leaves, and later attempts to reenter would be inadmissible and could trigger additional bars.

The guidance laid out in the new policy guidance applies most readily to a noncitizen who has been unlawfully present in the U.S. departs and reenters on a nonimmigrant visa along with a nonimmigrant waiver under INA §212(d)(3). Individuals who are subject to the 3- and 10-year bars could seek to be admitted in a nonimmigrant status such as H-1B or O-1 with a §212(d)(3) nonimmigrant waiver and spend the bars in the US. After spending the 3- or 10- year bar in the US, this individual would no longer be inadmissible and be eligible to adjust status to permanent residence.  Of course, those who have a qualifying relative can obtain an immigrant waiver under 212(a)(9)(5) by demonstrating extreme hardship to that relative and would not need to spend all the 3 or 10 years before they can adjust status to permanent residence. The new policy guidance truly comes to the rescue of those who do not have qualifying relatives as they can spend the 3- or 10-year bars in the US and no longer be inadmissible under INA § 212(a)(9)(B).

Take the example of a person who came to the US in B-2 status on January 1, 2020 and has remained in the US unlawfully long after the authorized stay ended on June 30, 2020. If this individual was offered a job in early 2022, got selected in the H-1B lottery and became the beneficiary of an H-1B visa petition with a start date of October 1, 2022, she would not be eligible to change status to H-1B on October 1, 2022 as she has been out of status. If she left the US to apply for an H-1B visa at a US Consulate, she would become subject to the 10-year bar and be denied the visa due to inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(9)(B)(i)(II). However, she can request the US consul to recommend the nonimmigrant visa waiver under §212(d)(3). If the waiver is granted by the Admissibility Review Office within Customs and Border Protection, she can be admitted in H-1B status and be able to spend at least six years in H-1B status.

The standard for obtaining  a §212(d)(3) nonimmigrant waiver is quite broad. It does not require a showing of extreme hardship to a qualifying relative as one has to demonstrate to apply for the corresponding immigrant waiver under §212(a)(9)(v). In Matter of Hranka, 16 I&N Dec. 491, 492 (BIA 1978), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) explained the factors used to adjudicate a § 212(d)(3) waiver:

[T]here are essentially three factors which we weigh together.  The first is the risk of harm to society if the applicant is admitted.  The second is the seriousness of the applicant’s prior immigration law, or criminal law, violations, if any.  The third factor is the nature of the applicant’s reasons for wishing to enter the United States.

Matter of Hranka, 16 I&N Dec. at 492.

The BIA also clarified that “there is no requirement that the applicant’s reasons for wishing to enter the United States be ‘compelling.’”  Id.

Notwithstanding the broad standard set forth in Matter of Hranka, the waiver is still discretionary and can be easily refused by the Admissibility Review Office or not even be recommended by the US Consul. Individuals who have spent long periods unlawfully in the US and who leave, and then immediately request the waiver through the US Consulate can be denied in the exercise of discretion. Moreover, the chances are better when one is applying for an H-1B or L visa that clearly allows “dual intent”  as opposed to applying for an F-1 visa. In the latter instance, the US Consul can simply refuse the visa on the grounds that the applicant is presumed to be an intending immigrant under INA §214(b). H-1B and L visas are exempted from this presumption in §214(b). Even though an O visa is recognized as a “dual intent” visa under 8 CFR §214.2(o)(13), the recipient while being exempted from requiring a residence abroad must still return home at the end of the O-1 validity period. Therefore, even an O-1 visa applicant would be susceptible to a refusal under INA §214(b) when seeking a 212(d)(3) nonimmigrant waiver.

An individual who is subject to the 10-year bar and already in the United States in H-1B status can potentially wait the period out by getting one-year H-1B extensions beyond the sixth year under §106(a) of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC 21). If this individual is born in India, she can become eligible for 3 year H-1B extensions under §104(c)  of AC 21.  As cautioned in our previous blog, though, one year extensions under AC 21 can potentially be denied under 8 CFR § 214.2(h)(13)(iii)(D)(10) if the individual has not filed his adjustment of status application within one year of the priority date becoming current, unless good cause is shown. USCIS has the discretion to excuse a failure to file an I-485 if the noncitizen establishes that the failure to apply was due to circumstances beyond his or her control. It is unclear whether USCIS might accept a good cause argument from an individual who wished to continue applying for H-1B extensions in order to spend the 10-year bar in the United States.

(This blog is for informational purposes and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal advice).

*Kaitlyn Box graduated with a JD from Penn State Law in 2020, and is an Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.

Cyrus Mehta

Maintenance of H-1B/L-1 Status after Travelling Back On Advance Parole: Executive Legerdemain under the Cronin Memo

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

Since H-1B and L visa nonimmigrant status allows for dual intent, the filing of an I-485 adjustment of status application does not conflict with the maintenance of  those nonimmigrant statuses. One maintaining H-1B or L status can also apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) and advance parole (AP) while an I-485 application is pending.

When the EB-3 India Dates for Filing (DFF) advanced rapidly in the October 2020 Visa Bulletin, thousands of individuals filed adjustment applications, many applying for EAD and AP at the same time. Despite serious processing backlogs at USCIS as a result of the pandemic and its  inability to approve I-485 applications even when the Final Action Dates (FAD) became current in subsequent visa bulletins, many applicants have now received their EAD/AP cards. Though a grant of EAD/AP provides individuals enhanced freedom to work and travel, it can also give rise to many questions, particularly for individuals who are maintaining H or L status.

Helpful guidance on these issues can be found in the so-called “Cronin Memo”, a legacy INS Memo from Michael D. Cronin, dated May 25, 2000 that allows those in H-1B and L-1 status to travel under AP and not lose their ability to return and resume working in H-1B or L-1 status. We address below a few of the most frequent EAD/AP questions, interpreting the guidance contained in the Cronin Memo.

 

Q: If I travel on advance parole, will it impact my H-1B status?

The Cronin Memo states that: “an alien who was an H-1 or L-1 nonimmigrant, but who was paroled pursuant to a grant of advance parole, may apply for an extension of H-1 or L-1 status, if there is a valid and approved petition. If the Service approves the alien’s application for an extension of nonimmigrant status, the decision granting such an extension will have the effect of terminating the grant of parole and admitting the alien in the relevant nonimmigrant classification.”

Although the Cronin memo contemplates an individual being paroled back into the United States to apply for an H-1 or L-1 extension, an individual who is the beneficiary of a valid H-1 or L-1 petition and maintained that status prior to departure should immediately be considered to be maintaining H or L status after returning to the US on advance parole without the need to reapply or apply for an extension. Individuals in this situation should not need to obtain an EAD, and should be able to work immediately.

With many U.S. consulates still operating on a limited basis due to the pandemic, this strategy can be helpful for individuals who have AP and wish to travel, but still want to maintain H or L status.

 

Q: Does this answer still apply if I have L-1 status?

Yes, the guidance provided in the Cronin Memo also applies to L-1 nonimmigrants.

 

Q: Can I travel on advance parole and be paroled back into the United States in O-1 status?

No. The Cronin Memo applies only to those who were in H-1B and L-1 status prior to departing the US on advance parolee.

 

Q: Can my spouse travel on an EAD and be paroled back into the United States in H-4 status?

Although the Cronin Memo does not explicitly speak to this issue, it can be argued that since the principal spouse can maintain H-1B status even though admitted under advance parole, the dependent spouse can also be paroled into the United States in H-4 status.

 

Q: If my spouse works on an EAD, or travels on AP, will it harm my own H-1B status?

No, a spouse’s utilization of EAD/AP should not jeopardize the principal’s maintenance of H-1B status.

 

Q: If I have a pending adjustment application and have received EAD/AP can I continue to get H-1B or L-1 extensions?

Yes. H and L visas are “dual intent” visas, which allow one to maintain the underlying nonimmigrant status even while an adjustment application is pending.

 

Q: If I have received my EAD/AP card, do I even need to maintain H or L status anymore?

Even if you have received your EAD/AP, it is still a good idea to maintain your nonimmigrant status for several reasons. If for any reason your adjustment application is denied, having an underlying nonimmigrant status could provide you with a safety net. Because EAD cards have a limited validity, they have to be frequently renewed, and there is no assurance that a renewal will get approved before the current card expires, particularly in light of COVID-related USCIS backlogs. Even if one can avail of the auto extension of an EAD, there is no guarantee that the new EAD will be issued within the 180 days of the auto extension. Moreover, there is no auto extension when renewing AP.

Maintaining H-1 or L-1 status ensures your ability to continue to work uninterrupted. If an H-1B extension is filed with the same employer before your current H-1B status expires, you are granted an automatic 240 day extension during which you can remain in the United States and continue working, even though the H-1B extension is not yet approved.

 

Q. Does my obtaining AP and returning in H-1B status under the Cronin Memo interfere with my ability to interfile my I-145 with a previously approved I-140 under EB-2?

No.

 

Q.  I stopped maintaining H-1B status as I found it easier to use EAD when porting to new employers Does the Cronin memo still apply when I travel and return on AP?

The Cronin Memo will not apply under your circumstances as you left the US after you stopped maintaining H-1B status. When you return under AP, you will have to continue to rely on the EAD even if the validity period of the H-1B petition has not expired.

 

(This blog is for informational purposes and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal advice).

*Kaitlyn Box graduated with a JD from Penn State Law in 2020, and is an Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.

 

 

 

 

Cyrus Mehta

Expansion of STEM Practical Training and Broadening of O-1A Standards Allows Foreign Talented Students to Contribute to the US Even If Rejected in the H-1B Lottery

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By Cyrus D. Mehta and Kaitlyn Box*

On January 21, 2021, the Biden administration announced a series of actions aimed at attracting and retaining STEM students and workers to the United States. Among the most significant provisions, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added 22 new fields to the STEM optional practical training (OPT) program to “enhance the contributions of nonimmigrant students studying” in STEM fields and to “support the growth of the U.S. economy and innovation.” The additions include a number of new and emerging fields, including bioenergy, cloud computing, climate science, business analytics, and financial analytics, to name only a few. Nursing, among other significant science-related fields, was not included in the list. Additionally, DHS has updated its guidance to clarify how individuals with advanced degrees in STEM fields, as well as STEM entrepreneurs, can self-sponsor for green cards through the national interest waiver (NIW).

Furthermore, DHS also updated its guidance related to O-1A nonimmigrant status for noncitizens of extraordinary ability in the fields of science, arts, education, business, or athletics. For the first time, the update provides examples of evidence that might satisfy the criteria, focusing on the complex nature of the supporting evidence in STEM-related petitions. For instance, under the published material criterion,  USCIS will accept a transcript of professional or major audio or video coverage of the beneficiary and the beneficiary’s work.  Regarding the critical  role criterion, the contribution by a founder of a startup might also qualify. Certain doctoral dissertation awards and Ph.D. scholarships  will also be accepted under the receipt of national or international award criterion. The update “also emphasizes that, if a petitioner demonstrates that a particular criterion does not readily apply to their occupation, they may submit evidence that is of comparable significance to that criterion to establish sustained acclaim and recognition”, and provides examples of comparable evidence that could be submitted by individuals in STEM fields.

The Department of State (DOS) guidance will also provide for an extension of J-1 status for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields to facilitate additional academic training for periods of up to 36 months. The extension applies to the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.

Taken together, these updates will alleviate some of the uncertainty employers and STEM workers face in contending with the H-1B cap. Research has shown that the OPT program benefits the U.S. economy and is important in the creation of job opportunities, so the Biden administration should take all possible measures to encourage foreign students to utilize the program. Expanding STEM OPT fields, as well as allowing students to work in the U.S. for three years pursuant to STEM OPT, are good first steps.

In the time afforded them by the STEM OPT program, students can potentially be entered in the H-1B lottery three to four times. Each year as more petitioners register under the lottery, the chances of being selected become correspondingly less.  Even if individuals are unlucky enough to never be selected, they could potentially utilize the new O-1A guidance to obtain O classification. As discussed above, USCIS has broadened the evidentiary standards for O visas, including allowing online publications or videos to qualify as “published material”, which provides enhanced flexibility that may allow more STEM workers to qualify.

Potential for New Green Card Opportunities

For individuals from many countries, the PERM labor certification process can be completed for some during their time in STEM OPT, allowing them to obtain an employment-based green card.  Unfortunately, those born in India or China will not be able to benefit from this strategy due to enormous green card backlogs in the employment-based second and employment-based third preferences. However, certain individuals who were born in India or China with STEM degrees could try to obtain permanent residence through the employment-based first preference if they demonstrate extraordinary ability under EB-1A classification. Although the DHS has updated its guidance to make it easier for STEM graduates to obtain permanent residence through the national interest waiver, this category is of limited use to talented students who were born in India due to the decade plus long crushing backlogs in the employment-based second preference.  The employment-based first preference is current for India unlike the employment-based second and third preferences for India. Since the evidentiary standards for O-1 visas have been broadened in the USCIS Policy Manual, the same should hold true for the EB-1A category as the legal standards for O-1A and EB-1 are the same. In addition, while we applaud the Biden administration for broadening the O-1A evidentiary standards, we urge the administration to do away with the final merits analysis  under EB-1A in addition to broadening the EB-1A evidentiary standards. The final merits analysis rightfully does not exist for evaluating an O-1A petition, so it should not exist  under the EB-1A either, or for that matter any employment based green card category. Under the final merits determination (see our Curse of Kazarian  blog), the USCIS arbitrarily  denies meritorious EB-1A petitions on a purely subjective and arbitrary basis even when the petitioner has readily met 3 or more out of the 10 criteria.

Consistent with this Administration’s goal of removing barriers to legal immigration under President Biden’s Executive Order 14012, Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans, the policy makers at the White House and DHS who fashioned these initiatives should be commended for removing obstacles for talented noncitizens to remain and contribute to the US in the face of inaction by the US Congress. This is a good first step but a lot more can be done.

(This  blog is for informational purposes only and should not be viewed as a substitute for legal advice)

∗ Kaitlyn Box graduated with a JD from Penn State Law in 2020, and is an Associate at Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC.