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Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January will have a profound impact on immigration law and enforcement. While the Trump/Vance ticket made immigration a central focus of its campaign, the platform took aim at asylum law and unlawful immigration rather than legal immigration and employer-based immigration. Trump’s first term provides strong clues about potential policy and enforcement changes, though uncertainty remains for employers.

Potential Changes to Employer-Based Immigration

Trump’s first term in office did not result in major legislative changes to immigration law, but enforcement methods and interpretation of existing laws varied drastically from historical norms. Potential changes in a second Trump administration could include:

  • Increased worksite enforcement
  • Restrictions for visas and permanent residence for certain countries
  • Attempts to eliminate the STEM OPT program
  • Attempts to increase prevailing wage rates for H-1B and permanent
    residence processes, aiming to price employers out
  • Increased denials across the board with USCIS and DOS (e.g., 21-24% H-1B denial rate)
  • Increased corporate investigations in relation to protection of US workers (e.g., investigation of PERM practices, hiring practices, and alleged preferential treatment of foreign workers)

Continue Reading Trump Back in Office: What Employers Can Expect Regarding Employer-Based Immigration

We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update, a collection of key updates from Austria, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.

Click here to view.

We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update, a collection of key updates from Brazil, Italy, Luxembourg, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Click here to view.


We are thrilled to announced that the latest edition of The Global Employer: Focus on Global Immigration & Mobility is now available! This handy, go-to desk reference guide includes:

  • An overview of key global immigration and mobility issues to consider related to immigration, employment, compensation and employee benefits, income taxes and social insurance, and global

The regulatory landscape for immigration compliance is constantly evolving. To protect and keep top talent and to avoid tangles with the law, US multinational employers must stay on top of the latest legal decisions and guidance.

In this blog series, our team of Global Immigration and Mobility experts will share significant legal updates and practical strategies for maintaining compliance. In our first post, we highlight the possible implications of the SEC v. Jarkesy case for immigration courts, and highlight the DOJ’s recently-released Fact Sheet addressing I-9 compliance when using electronic platforms.

1. Challenge to the Validity of Administrative Judges Could Have a Major Impact on the DOJ’s Ability to Investigate Employers for Immigration Misconduct

    A case currently pending in the US Supreme Court could have high stakes for administrative law judges in the immigration context–and, depending on the outcome, could theoretically open the door for challenging the ability of the DOJ to investigate employers for immigration-based discrimination.

    Background

    On November 29, 2023, the US Supreme Court held oral argument in SEC v. Jarkesy. Jarkesy, an investment advisor, had been found guilty by an ALJ of securities law violations. As a result, he was fined, barred from securities industry activities, and his firm was required to repay investors. Jarkesy challenged the SEC’s enforcement action at the 5th Circuit, which agreed with Jarkesy, and the case was appealed to the Supreme Court. Notably, a core question before the Court is whether Congress’ decision to allow ALJs to be removed only for “good cause” violates Article II of the Constitution (requiring the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”)

    Possible impact on ALJs responsible for deciding cases involving immigration-based discrimination by employers

    During oral arguments, conservative justices expressed doubts about the constitutionality of the SEC’s current process, where ALJs handle violations and defendants are not entitled to a jury trial.

    The arguments that could potentially weaken the authority of ALJs in the Jarkesy case–i.e., that defendants are unconstitutionally deprived of a jury trial when administrative judges address infractions–could also be extended to ALJs sitting within the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO), potentially depriving them of their ability to adjudicate cases. Defendants are already using this argument in ongoing cases in an effort to invalidate the DOJ’s immigration-related proceedings against them.

    If the Supreme Court’s decision leads to the removal of ALJs at the SEC, it is likely that the authority of ALJs at other agencies will face subsequent legal challenges, including enforcement actions brought against employers by the DOJ for allegations of: (i) citizenship-based discrimination; (ii) national-origin-based discrimination; (iii) document abuse (relating to I-9s); and (iv) retaliation.Continue Reading Beyond Borders: How US Multinational Employers Can Master Immigration Compliance

    We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update, a collection of key updates from Brazil, China, Italy, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, and more.

    Click here to view.

    We are pleased to share with you The Global Employer – Global Immigration & Mobility Quarterly Update, a collection of immigration and mobility alerts from around the world.

    Please click here to view.

    New guidance from USCIS provides a new alternative, starting August 1, 2023, allowing employers that participate in E-Verify to inspect documents presented for I-9 completion remotely. This update will free qualifying employers from the burden of performing a physical verification.

    To qualify, employers must be in good standing with E-Verify. This significant change in USCIS policy provide a pragmatic solution for qualifying employers, particularly those with large remote-working populations. The new guidance is also timely – as it is effective the day after USCIS’ COVID-19 flexible guidance is set to expire.Continue Reading Update: USCIS Modernizes I-9 Verification Process Allowing for Virtual Verification

    The month of July will bring forth two notable changes to immigration compliance requirements: (i) Florida will require that all private employers with at least 25 employees use E-Verify as of July 1; and (ii) the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) will end temporary flexibilities on July 31 that permitted certain employers to complete the Form I-9 remotely without inspection of the original documents. Employers–throughout the United States–must be aware of how mandatory E-Verify will or could impact their company and how the end of remote I-9 completion will impact its remote workforce.

    Mandatory E-Verify in Florida

    Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1718 into law on May 10, with an effective date of July 1, 2023. The law expands mandatory use of E-Verify to all private employers with 25 or more employees. SB 1718  expands existing State law which requires the use of E-Verify by public employers, private employers which contract with public employers, and private employers which receive state incentives.  The new law aligns Florida with other states with mandatory E-Verify requirements, including Utah, Arizona, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

    What is E-Verify?

    E-Verify is an internet-based system that compares information entered by an employer from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the US Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm employment eligibility. The program is additive to and does not replace the I-9 requirement. E-Verify is a meaningful tool that helps employers verify the work authorization of their workforce; it can also serve as evidence of good faith during government investigations relating to I-9 practices. However, employers must meet compliance requirements when using E-Verify, and noncompliance can result in fines and other civil penalties.

    Requirements for private employers

    The Florida law will require that all private employers with 25 or more employees register for E-Verify and utilize it for new employees hired on or after July 1, 2023. Each employer subject to the new law will be required to retain copies of the E-Verify documentation for at least three years, and will be required to verify compliance on its first return when making contributions to or reimbursing the state’s unemployment compensation or reemployment assistance program. Notably, employers who use E-Verify–whether required or not–will create a rebuttable presumption that they have not knowingly employed an unauthorized worker.Continue Reading Mandatory E-Verify in Florida and the End of I-9 Flexibility for Remote Workers: Major Changes to Immigration Compliance Landscape on the Horizon

    Special thanks to Tony Haque and Hanna Jung.

    In our latest Global Immigration and Mobility Video chat, our attorneys discuss the challenges of employee travel during the upcoming holiday season, with a focus on the United Kingdom, Australia, and the wider Asia Pacific region. The 15-minute video covers immigration complications from the state of