As Countries Seek to Scale Refugee Labor Pathways, Employer Engagement Is the Missing Piece
WASHINGTON, DC — As Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and a handful of other countries experiment with innovative programs that connect employers and refugees with in-demand skills, the central role…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – Two Men Staged Robberies to Commit Visa Fraud
In March 2023, two men set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least eight convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants across the United States, including at least…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – USCIS Publishes Final Rule Implementing a Beneficiary-Centric Selection Process
This week on the podcast we discuss the implementation of a beneficiary-centric selection process for the H-1B cap. The new process involves selecting registrations by unique beneficiary, as determined by…
Governments Should Address Migration Blind Spot in Gig Economy Responses
WASHINGTON, DC — Even though immigrants are at the heart of the gig economy, which has witnessed a meteoric rise over the last decade or so, governments have largely overlooked…
Wild-berry pickers are applying for a residence permit for the first time – all applications have been processed
Wild-berry pickers who come from Thailand to Finland are required to have a residence permit for an employed person this summer. All pickers have received a decision on their residence…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – USCIS Increases Costs for U.S Employers with its New Asylum Program Fee
On January 31st, USCIS published a new fee schedule (89 FR 6194), which will take effect on April 1, 2024, and significantly impact most employment-based petitions.Most notably, the new fee…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – USCIS is Disconnected from Reality
There seems to be a disconnect between the USCIS Policy Manual for National Interest Waivers (NIWs) and the real-world.The Policy Manual states, “USCIS recognizes the importance of progress in STEM…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – O-1B Part 1: Why Do People Get This O-1B Criterion Wrong?
For those of you considering viable options to the H-1B cap we will be doing a deep-dive into the O-1B and O-1A criteria over the next couple of weeks.One of…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – O-1B Deep Dive Part 2: What Constitutes National Or International Recognition?
Part two of our six-part deep dive into the O-1B visa.The USCIS regulations for the O-1B visa require evidence that the foreign national “has achieved national or international recognition for…
Immigration Update with Lin Walker – O-1B Deep Dive Part 3: How to distinguish lead, starring or critical role
Today is part three of our six-part deep dive into the O-1B visa. You can go back to our last two episodes to catch up if you missed them. This…