Entries by Cyrus Mehta

What Kisor v. Wilkie Means For Auer Deference and USCIS’s Interpretation of its Regulations Relating to H-1B Visa Petitions

By Cyrus D. Mehta and Sonal Sharma* In Wilkie v. Kisor, the Supreme Court issued a significant decision regarding whether courts should still be paying deference to the government’s interpretation of its own regulations. Here’s some background on how we got to this deference standard. Over 35 years ago, the Supreme Court established a two-step […]

How the Founding Values of Two Great Nations – United States and India – Can Get Hollowed Out Through Tweaks in their Immigration Laws

Until President Trump of the United States and Prime Minister Modi of India came to power, it was unimaginable that democratically elected leaders could cynically tweak immigration laws to undermine the founding values of their nations. America has unquestionably been viewed as a nation of immigrants and a beacon of liberty for the world’s persecuted […]

Isn’t Being Extraordinary More Than Enough?  There’s No Need for USCIS to Ask for a Prospective Benefit to the US

By Cyrus Mehta and Patrick Matutina We have previously blogged regarding The Curse of Kazarian v. USCIS in Extraordinary Ability Adjudications Under the Employment-Based First Preference. Kazarian v. USCIS, 596 F.3d 1115 (9th Cir. 2010),as interpreted by the USCIS, has resulted in a two part test for Extraordinary Ability petitions (EB-1). In the first part […]

Filing an EB-1 as a Multinational Manager After the Approval of an EB-2 for a Backlogged Indian Beneficiary

It requires skill and creativity to assist Indians caught in the employment based backlogs to find ways speed up the process or ameliorative solutions. The India employment-based second preference (EB-2) and employment-based third preference (EB-3) dates have barely moved for years, and the prospects for a beneficiary of an I-140 petition born in India for […]

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Constitutionality of Smuggling Statute That Could Impact Immigration Lawyers

The Supreme Court has agreed to review the constitutionality of a smuggling statute under the Immigration and Nationality Act. United States v. Sineneng-Smith, No. 19-67. The statutory provision in question, INA §274(a)(1)(A)(iv),  permits a felony prosecution of anyone who “encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States” if […]

The Ethics of Law Reform Activities Affecting Client Interests in Light of the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act

The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act has divided the immigrant community as well as immigration attorneys. The bill seeks to eliminate per-country caps without expanding the number of visas in the EB categories.  The House version, HR 1044, has already passed with an overwhelming majority on February 7, 2019. The Senate version, S. 386, […]