Tag: Immigration

A federal district court has struck down a legacy Trump administration rule that would have replaced the annual H-1B cap lottery with a scheme to favor high-wage earners.

If implemented, the rule would have adversely impacted employers wishing to sponsor  H-1B petitions for entry level professionals positions with corresponding entry level wages, including petitions for recent foreign student graduates from U.S. universities.   The rule would have also harmed non-profit institutions, including many hospitals, and small businesses unable to compete with larger enterprises offering higher wages.  Inevitably foreign students graduates, including scientists, heath care professionals, IT professionals and others, would be required to depart the U.S. after graduation  with this key immigration option eliminated.

Notably, the Biden administration did not abandon the rule when it took office, but only delayed its implementation to December 31, 2021.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce led a group of plaintiffs that included universities other organizations challenging the legality of the rule, and this week, the court agreed with plaintiffs that Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf was not lawfully appointed at the time the rule was promulgated, and thus had no authority to issue the rule.  The court did not address whether the Immigration and Nationality Act allows DHS to prioritize the selection of H-1B visas based on wages or another factor, one of the arguments alleged by the plaintiffs.

Looking Ahead

The rule is not inconsistent with the  Biden administration’s stated aim to incentive higher wages for nonimmigrant and high-skilled workers. The administration does have the option of promulgating another rule – this time with a lawfully appointed Secretary of Homeland Security – but even so, such a rule is unlikely to be implemented before the  fiscal year 2023 H-1B cap registration period which commences in March 2022.  A similar rule favoring high wage earners would also face the same substantive legal challenges, particularly that such a proposal is inconsistent with, and flatly contradicted by, the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The case is U.S. Chamber of Commerce v. Department of Homeland Security, Case No. 20-cv-07331 (N.D. Ca., March 19, 2021).

 

In Episode 1 of the Hasta La Visa, Baby Podcast, we discuss the characteristics and differences of L-1A and L-1B Intracompany Transferee visas. We also highlight the Employment Based First Preference multinational manager green card sponsorship process. In this quick take article, we break down what employers need to know about these options for transferring and retaining employees from affiliated companies into the U.S.

L-1A Nonimmigrant Visa for Executive or Manager

The L-1A visa status provides a pathway for a multinational corporation to transfer an executive or manager from one of its foreign offices to one of its affiliated U.S. offices. Foreign companies that do not yet have an affiliated U.S. office can also transfer an executive or manager to the U.S. to establish a new office.

L-1B Nonimmigrant Visa for Employees with Specialized Knowledge

The L-1B visa status allows a multinational corporation to transfer a professional employee with “specialized knowledge” from one of its foreign offices to one of its affiliated U.S. offices. Specialized knowledge refers to either special knowledge possessed by an individual of the company’s product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or other interests and its application to international markets, or an advanced level of knowledge or expertise in the organization’s processes and procedures.

How can employers can apply for an L-1A or L-1B nonimmigrant visa on behalf of an employee?

Employers can file a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker on behalf of their employee with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They must have a qualifying relationship with a foreign company, and either be actively doing business or planning to do business as an employer in the U.S. and at least one other country for the duration of the employee’s stay in the U.S.

How do employees qualify for an L-1A or L-1B nonimmigrant visa?

• Employees must have been working for a qualifying organization abroad for at least one continuous year within the three years immediately before admission to the U.S.
• For the L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive or Manager visa classification, the employee must be entering the U.S. to provide professional services in an executive or managerial capacity for a branch of the same employer or one of its qualifying organizations in the U.S. .
• For the L-1B Intracompany Specialized Knowledge visa classification, they must have special knowledge of the company product, service, research, equipment, techniques, management, or other interests or expertise in their processes and procedures.

Employment Based First Preference Multinational Executive or Manager Green Card Sponsorship Process

This is a fast track Green Card sponsorship process, typically applicable to those who are already in L-1A visa status. The sponsored employee must have worked for an affiliate of the sponsoring employer abroad in an executive or managerial capacity and then be working in the U.S. for the affiliate in a similar executive or managerial capacity. Employers must complete and file a Form I-140 Immigration petition on behalf of the sponsored employee with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

For further information on these visa principles, please be sure to download and listen to:

Hasta La Visa, Baby Episode 1: Down the Hall and to the Left: Intracompany Transferees and Home Alone 2
In this episode, Shai and Roderick discuss the 1992 holiday blockbuster, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In this episode, Shai and Roderick explore the character known as Mr. Hector, played by Tim Curry. Mr. Hector is a UK national, the concierge at the Plaza hotel in New York and one of the main antagonists of Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin. Shai and Roderick will attempt to solve what Mr. Hector’s visa status may have been and will provide insight into what type of immigration advice they would give Mr. Hector if he visited them for a consultation.

The visa categories they will explore in this episode include L-1A, L-1B, and the I-140 multinational manager process. Plus, what happens when a hotel concierge gets a little too personal and a few takeaways from one of the “greatest” cameos of all time.