Utah Governor Signs Immigration Reform Bills
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
USCIS Launches E-Verify Self Check
Another step towards a national ID system………
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On March 21, 2011, USCIS launches E-Verify Self Check, the first online E-Verify program offered directly to the U.S. workforce. E-Verify Self Check, a fast, simple, secure and free service, enables individuals to voluntarily check their own employment eligibility status. USCIS is releasing E-Verify Self Check in phases, with the first phase only accessible to users who maintain an address and are physically located in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia, or the District of Columbia. Click here to visit the E-Verify Self Check website and check your own employment eligibility status.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Utah Signs Immigration Measures Into Law
See below for information on Utah's immigration measures signed into law today, March 15, 2011. Again, this re-emphasizes the need for the federal government to deal with comprehensive immigration reform………
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UTAH COMPROMISES VALUES AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION WITH NEW IMMIGRATION SCHEME
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Friday, March 11, 2011
USCIS Advisory Regarding Those Impacted By Earthquake/Tsunami
The USCIS just announced this advisory for Japanese and other foreign nationals from the Pacific stranded in the United States due to the earthquakes and tsunami devastation in the Pacific. If you have exceeded or are about to exceed your authorized stay in the U.S. you may be permitted up to an additional 30 days to depart.
Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
- If you are at an airport, contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at the airport.
- All others, please visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
Visitors traveling under a nonimmigrant visa:
- Visit the local U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office.
- Bring your passport, evidence that you are stranded (such as an itinerary for the cancelled flight), and your I-94 departure record.
For additional immigration relief options, please visit the Special Situation page.
Monday, March 7, 2011
USCIS/E-Verify Connection
See below from USCIS. It is likely that any comprehensive immigration reform proposals will include some kind of mandatory sign-up in E-Verify…..
Dan
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E-Verify Connection
March 2011
Issue 2
Welcome to E-Verify Connection, an e-newsletter from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Each issue will bring you updates about E-Verify's advances and activities. A pdf version of E-Verify Connection is available online.
What's Hot in E-Verify
E-Verify Scores High on Customer Satisfaction
E-Verify earned an exceptionally high score in the 2010 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI). E-Verify's overall score of 82 far surpassed the federal government's score of 69. E-Verify Customer Support scored 89. Other key findings are that the overwhelming majority of users are likely to recommend and continue using E-Verify, and are confident in E-Verify's accuracy. You can read the ASCI survey report online.
One New Card Authorizes Two Benefits
On February 11, 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began issuing a card that authorizes both employment and travel authorization. This card is issued to those who file applications to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485). This card is an acceptable employment authorization and identity document for Form I-9. See our website for more information.
Now Available! Revised Handbook for Employers
The revised M-274 Handbook for Employers: Instructions for Completing I-9, released on January 5, 2011, has updated instructions for completing Form I-9, useful information about documents, and more guidance.
Download your free copy.
E-Verify Existing Users...A New Webinar for You!
The free live webinar designed for E-Verify users has been updated to include a discussion about immigration-related hiring practices that are common triggers for Department of Justice investigations. The E-Verify for Existing Users webinar includes advanced reviews of new features, Form I-9 and tentative non-confirmations. USCIS also offers free E-Verify Overview, Federal Contractor E-Verify, and Form I-9 webinars.
Just go to our website and register for the webinar of your choice.
GAO Cites E-Verify Improvements
A new
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
analyzed 2009-2010 E-Verify data and reported significant improvements, such as a 5.4% decrease in tentative non-confirmations (TNCs), better safeguards for securing employee information, and improvements in monitoring employers' compliance.
Higher Worker Authorization Rates
In fiscal year 2010, E-Verify automatically confirmed 98.3% of employees as authorized to work instantly or within 24 hours—an increase of nearly one percent over the previous year.
See the updated statistics online at E-Verify Statistics and Reports.
E-Verify Testifies
On Feb 10, 2011, USCIS Associate Director for Enterprise Services Theresa Bertucci testified before Congress about E-Verify. Read the Testimony.
Why Don't They Use E-Verify?
An independent study of E-Verify non-users, The Practices and Opinions of Employers Who Do Not Participate in E-Verify, reported that more than half of all employers have not yet heard of E-Verify, and many others have misconceptions about the program. Learn the facts about E-Verify – it's free, it's easy, and users rate it highly.
¿Ha visto "The Reporter"?
La edición de invierno 2010 de "The Reporter", boletίn de SSA/IRS para los empleadores y patronos, tiene un artίculo informativo acerca de E-Verify. Vea la página 4 de "The Reporter."
E-Verify Outreach
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify experts will be available at the following events:
- Arizona Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference
Phoenix, AZ March 2, 2011
- Health Care Benefit New York Show and Conference Expo
New York, NY March 7, 2011
- American Payroll Association Capital Summit
Washington, DC March 8, 2011
- Alliance Mid-Atlantic Small Business Procurement Fair
Atlantic City, NJ March 10, 2011
- SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference
Washington, DC March 14-16, 2011
- Greater New York Chamber of Commerce/Brooklyn Trade Show
Brooklyn, NY March 15, 2011
- Annual Reservation Economic Summit
Las Vegas, NV March 16-17, 2011
- Aerospace & Defense Contract Management Conference
Glendale, AZ March 17-18, 2011
- New England Food Show
Boston, MA March 20-22, 2011
- Employers Association Employment Law Conference
Perrysburg, OH March 25, 2011
- College and University Professionals (CUPA)-HR Western Regional Conference
Lost Pines, TX March 27-29, 2011
- National Small Business Contracting Week Summit
Washington, DC March 29 – 31, 2011
- American Council of Engineering Companies Convention
Washington, DC March 29-April 1, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
H-1B Registration System
See below that was just announced today. This appears to be similar to the current PERM system for labor certification. Given how many problems there have been with the electronic filing system so far, it is unclear how much money actually will be saved if it results in additional processing delays……….. Clearly, we are moving towards a national identification system. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, in particular how the USCIS selection system proposed below would actually be managed………
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USCIS Announces Proposed H-1B Electronic Registration System to Reduce Costs for U.S. Businesses March 2, 2011 WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is publishing tomorrow a proposed rule that could save U.S. businesses more than $23 million over the next 10 years by establishing an advance registration process for U.S. employers seeking to file H-1B petitions for foreign workers in specialty occupations. The proposed electronic system would minimize administrative burdens and expenses related to the H-1B petition process—including reducing the need for employers to submit petitions for which visas would not be available under the statutory visa cap. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas today announced the opening of a 60-day comment period that will allow businesses and the general public to provide input on the proposed system in order to ensure it best meets the needs of employers that rely on H-1B visas to bring in foreign workers for specialty occupations. "The proposed rule would create a more efficient and cost-effective process for businesses interested in bringing workers in specialty occupations to the United States," he said. "Improving the H-1B petition process is part of USCIS's ongoing efforts to leverage new ideas and innovation to streamline our operations and enhance customer service." Under the proposed rule, employers seeking to petition for H-1B workers subject to the statutory cap would register electronically with USCIS—a process that would take an estimated 30 minutes to complete. Before the petition filing period begins, USCIS would select the number of registrations predicted to exhaust all available visas. Employers would then file petitions only for the selected registrations. The registration system would save employers the effort and expense of filing H-1B petitions, as well as Labor Condition Applications, for workers who would be unable to obtain visas under the statutory cap. The proposed rule, which posted to the Federal Register today for public viewing, contains complete details about the registration system and estimated cost savings. USCIS encourages formal comments on the proposed rule through www.regulations.gov. The comment period runs for 60 days, beginning March 3, 2011, and ending on May 2, 2011. For more information on the proposed H-1B rule, please see the accompanying Fact Sheet. For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit www.uscis.gov.
Last updated:03/02/2011 |
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