Many of my student visa clients hope to win the H-1B visa lottery so that they can remain in the United States and have the ability to lawfully work. The Coronavirus has a huge impact on business in America, and millions of individuals are unemployed.

Over the past couple of months I've had a feeling that employment based immigration would be negatively impacted due to the high unemployment in America. We're now seeing some movement in the Trump administration on how business immigration may be limited including suspending H-1B visa issuance and other business visas such as L-1 intercompany transfers and J-1 short term workers.

Many companies rely on the H-1B and other business visa programs for their staff. We will see how things further develop over the next few months.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-suspending-h-1b-other-visas-through-the-fall-11591915950?shareToken=stdcf056a1e8b3411a8943c1eed1028fb1

Find out more about the current situation about immigration and the Coronavirus. Here are some points to know:
1) Immigration will still accept applications and your application fees.
2) The immigration deportation courts are not working at full capacity. If an individual is scheduled for a master calendar hearing, those hearings are cancelled through June 12, 2020 per the information posted by the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR).
3) Invest in yourself! Now is a great time to apply.
4) Stimulus Checks: If you have a family member with whom you file taxes jointly, and that person does not have a social security number, the entire family may not qualify for a stimulus check.

​Stay safe out there!

It has been a while since our last blog post. Apologies! We have been now trying out a new series called Tuesday Tips at 2pm with the Goldbergs. Please check us out youtube or our Facebook page: The Goldberg Law Office PLLC.
Here was our first video published back in August 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5gLgmyPRR4
​

Like our channel to get some great legal tips!

Deferred Action is over for now. President Trump announced that the deferred action program, known as DACA for short, will be terminated within 6 months. There are people on both sides of the aisle--republican and democrat--that feel sympathy for the young people who entered the US unlawfully with their parents and who face immigration uncertainty.

Since the program started in 2012, our office helped many young people get work permits, and find new opportunities to improve their situations. It was a program that gave applicants a chance that they otherwise did not have. 

It is a sad day for those 800,000 plus individuals who are currently benefitting from DACA. We hope that Congress can get it together, and pass some sort of meaningful legislation to benefit those people who will be losing the work permits granted to them under DACA.

Feel free to contact our office and schedule an appointment to learn what other immigration options may be available.

The holiday season brings a time of reflection and joy. Our office thanks you—our clients, friends, and social media followers for your interest and support of our work. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and happy 2014. Please be safe and enjoy the holiday season.

The Goldberg Law Office, PLLC wishes you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving and Hanukkah holiday. As our office and family continue to grow, we thank you for your loyalty and support. 

May this holiday season and year 2014 bring you and your family joy, health, and success. 

I came across something on TV that has a connection with immigration! Starring on the Bravo TV show, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa and Joe Giudice currently face some serious legal issues. They were indicted on federal fraud charges. Joe Giudice thinks of himself as an American since he came to the United States at the age of 9. Although he has been a lawful permanent resident for decades, he never applied for naturalization. Beyond the federal indictment, he faces possible deportation.

Many times I come across lawful permanent residents who have been living in the United States for most of their lives, and who never felt an urge or reason to apply for citizenship. Unfortunately, folks who never naturalize, and find themselves in criminal proceedings, also may face future deportation. Living in the United States for several years in legal status does not create an iron clad defense against deportation.

That is why I urge people who are lawful permanent residents, and qualify to apply for naturalization, should really take the plunge and do it. It’s important not only for the applicant, but also for the applicant’s family.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/teresa-giudice-joe-giudice-break-silence-indictment-charges-article-1.1471500

The publicly traded company, Infosys Ltd, is set to be slapped with a fine of about $35 million dollars. The investigation came into fruition because of questions on how this Indian outsourcing company brought their employees to the US. Most of their workers came on the B-1 (tourist for business) visa and not on the H-1B work visa.

Many folks that come to the US with work visas hold an H-1B visa in particular. The US issues a maximum of 65,000 H-1B work visas per fiscal year. Infosys brought an unknown amount of employees via the B-1 visa route—a path that requires less elements to prove and does not have a cap on the amount of visas issued. Further, Infosys did not maintain complete Form I-9s for their employees. The Form I-9 is a document that employers have employees complete upon hire to demonstrate that the employee has authorization to work in the US.

The Form I-9 might seem straight forward, but it has brought many woes and thousands of dollars of fines to companies across the United States. But the Infosys $35 million dollar fine is the largest thus far.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/infosys-faces-record-us-immigration-fine-2013-10-29?mod=wsj_share_tweet

The number of immigrants dramatically increased this year from years past. In 2013 fiscal year, over 27,546 people claimed they had credible fear of returning to their home countries. That is a huge jump from 2012 when there were 10,730 cases or in 2008 when there were 3,273. Some contributing factors to the increase in asylum seekers include: tougher border security and the spreading word that seeking asylum can help a person stay in the US longer while undergoing immigration deportation proceedings. 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304795804579097473250468020

President Barack Obama signed a bill this morning to raise the debt ceiling. This is a short term fix to the problem that left the government in a partial shutdown for 16 days. 

A new budget will need to be approved by mid-January, otherwise the government will be in a similar position again.

What does this mean for immigration? Courts are slowly reopening, and will soon be hearing non-detained immigration cases. During the shutdown, judges were only holding hearings on the detained cases. 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/17/senate-begins-vote-on-budget-bill-boehner-pledges-house-wont-block-it/