Presidential Action on Immigration

After President Obama’s speech on 11/20/14 there are still many unknowns about how his remarks will affect the immigration process.

The CIS and DOL have issued memos attempting to give some guidance on these issues. Please be aware that nothing is taking effect immediately and most likely anything that will be implemented will be 90 to 180 days from now or even longer. To read more on what the Department of Homeland Security is saying about the President’s actions please click HERE (DHS.gov).

Immigration Support Services is focused on business immigration. Much of what the President had to say was about undocumented aliens and border protection. But there are possible implications for U.S. employers who hire foreign-born employees.

The CIS and DOL appear to have, among other items, the following four things they are considering:

1. Top priority will be to finalize the H-4 work authorization rule.
2. Ensuring that all immigrant visa numbers are issued making severely retrogressed categories move forward or become current.
3. Expansion of the OPT program including the availability of STEM extensions.
4. The DOL has committed to modernize the PERM/LCP process to be more responsive to changes in the national workforce.

Please be aware that when changes like this are announced that scammers will often take this opportunity to promise you things that simply can’t be done.

ISS will continue to follow this and let you know of future developments as additional information becomes available. You can rest assured that ISS will give you up to date and accurate information as to any processes that the CIS or DOL are implementing.