In the coming weeks, the Administration is expected to issue a number of proposals that if enacted, would severely restrict legal immigration. While some of these restrictions will only be proposals and will not take effect immediately, the expected executive action that will likely be implemented in the near-term include a ban on entry of H-1B non-immigrants for a period of time - possibly in the range of 120 days.
If you have consultants who may be traveling internationally in the next few weeks, please be aware they may experience difficulty reentering the U.S. We recommend that H-1B beneficiaries or their employer consult with immigration counsel before traveling internationally.
Other Possible Future Restrictions:
- Imposing an additional $20k fee on all H-1B petitions
- Redefine key terms like "specialty occupation", "employee", "employer", "employer-employee relationship"
- Requiring both staffing firms and clients to jointly file LCAs
- Increasing wage levels
- Eliminate employment authorization for H-4 dependent spouses
- Rescinding the STEM OPT Extension
TechServe Alliance will keep you updated on further developments as they become known.