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HHS Issues 2009 Poverty Guidelines
January 28th, 2009
On January 23, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published its annual update to the Poverty Guidelines. The Poverty Guidelines are used in calculating the required income for Affidavits of Support (Forms I-864). The I-864 is a bi…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
Permanent Residents Soon to Be Subject to US VISIT
January 11th, 2009
Effective January 18, 2009, U.S. permanent residents returning to the U.S. from abroad will be subject to the US “VISIT” (Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) Program. US-VISIT, which requires the fingerprinting of certain a…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
H-2B Cap for FY2009 Reached
January 11th, 2009
On January 8, 2009, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (CIS) announced that the H-2B cap of 66,000 visas for FY2009 had been reached. H-2B visas allow employers who have a need for peak-load, seasonal, or intermittent workers to temporarily in…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
I-9 Form Revised by USCIS
January 7th, 2009
On December 12, 2008, US CIS announced that it had submitted to the Federal Register an interim final rule that is intended to streamline the employment eligibility verification (I-9) process. Under this rule, fewer documents are acceptable for estab…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
New Electronic System for Travel Authorization Announced for Visa Waiver Travelers
November 14th, 2008
Effective January 12, 2009, anyone planning to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), a program that allows people from certain designated countries to travel to the U.S. for business or pleasure for up to 90 days without first obtai…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
TN Workers Now Eligible for Three Year Admission Period
November 11th, 2008
Effective October 16, 2008, DHS Regulations provide that TN status may now be granted for up to three years at a time. TN status is a nonimmigrant classification that is only available to Canadian and Mexican citizens who are employed in a specific o…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
White House Announces the Inclusion of 7 Countries in the Visa Waiver Program
November 11th, 2008
On October 17, 2008, the White House announced the inclusion of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and South Korea in the Visa Waiver Program. Already in effect for numerous countries including the United Kingdom, Germ…
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Categories: Immigration Blog
ICE Provides Final “Safe Harbor” Guidance to Employers with SSA “No-Match” Letters, but Rule Has Little Immediate Impact
November 11th, 2008
Social Security Administration (SSA) “no-match” letters – letters received by employers from SSA notifying them that their reported SSA earnings do not match those of SSA records — have been a problem for employers for years. Responses to…
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Categories: Immigration Blog