Entries by Cyrus Mehta

BAD TIMING ALBERTO: BIA HAS CONFIRMED THAT SAME SEX SPOUSES CAN GET IMMIGRATION BENEFITS AFTER UNITED STATES V. WINDSOR

By Gary Endelman and Cyrus D. Mehta Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, along with an immigration attorney, David Strange, published an Op Ed in the New York Times entitled What the Court Didn’t Say on July 17, 2013. They muddy the waters by contending that despite the recent Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. […]

HOW EXTRAORDINARY DOES ONE NEED TO BE TO QUALIFY AS A PERSON OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY?

When Kazarian v. USCIS, 596 F.3d 1115 (9th Cir. 2010), was first decided, it was received with much jubilation as it was thought that the standards for establishing extraordinary ability would be more straightforward and streamlined. Kazarian essentially holds that a petitioner claiming extraordinary ability need not submit extraordinary evidence to prove that he or […]

HOW LONG IS A LAWYER OBLIGATED TO CORRECT FALSE EVIDENCE THAT WAS SUBMITTED ON BEHALF OF THE CLIENT?

One of the cardinal ethical rules governing a lawyer’s conduct is the prohibition, with some exception, from revealing a client’s confidential information. This information, which must be kept confidential, is normally gained during the course of the representation of the client. Still, at the same time, a lawyer is also prohibited from offering or using […]

Meet Our New Friend: Who Is An “H-1B Skilled Worker Dependent Employer” In Senate Immigration Bill, S. 744?

By Gary Endelman and Cyrus D. Mehta Since we last wrote about the H-1B visa provisions in Senate Immigration Bill, S. 744, Workable Or Unworkable? The H-1B And L-1 Visa Provisions In BSEOIMA, S. 744, there have been several changes to this portion of the bill. The amendment proposed by Senator Hatch (after reaching a compromise with Senator […]

AN IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY’S RESPONSE TO STATEMENT OF USCIS UNION PRESIDENT OPPOSING SENATE IMMIGRATION BILL, S. 744

Kenneth Palinkas, President of the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, the union representing 12,000 United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudications officers and staff, issued a statement joining a vocal minority of other government union bosses, most notably Chris Crane of the ICE employee union, opposing the Senate immigration bill, S. 744. Mr. […]

Do We Still Need PERM Labor Certification? An Analysis of the Merits-Based Points System in BSEOIMA

By Gary Endelman and Cyrus D. Mehta We continue to analyze the provisions of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, s. 744 (BSEOIMA), which seeks to bring about dramatic changes to the existing immigration system in the United States.  One of the most  transformative changes that BSEOIMA will bring, if enacted, is a […]