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Beneficiaries under Venezuela’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation can re-register for TPS between Sept. 8, 2022, and Nov. 7, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.
Key Points:
Background: Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas initially designated Venezuela for TPS in March of 2021. DHS estimated that roughly 323,000 Venezuelans were eligible for TPS; there are currently about 111,700 beneficiaries under the designation. More information is available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services TPS website here.
This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.
Copyright © 2022 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.
The U.S. State Department published advice for individuals selected in the FY2023 Diversity Visa (DV) program.
Additional Information: The DV-2023 program saw over 7 million qualified entries. Of those entries, approximately 119,262 applicants were notified that they are eligible to submit an immigrant visa application. Egypt topped the list of countries with the most registrants selected (5,529), followed by Algeria (5,526), Iran (5,506), Russia (5,505), Sudan (4,863), Morocco (4,469), Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,385) and Ukraine (3,808). The full list of countries is available here.
Copyright © 2022 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.
Leading immigration firm BAL’s Managing Partner Jeremy Fudge is named to an elite list of top employee-approved CEOs by Texas CEO Magazine.
“I’m honored to be selected for this recognition by Texas CEO,” said Jeremy. “It is especially gratifying to know that we’re not only succeeding in growth and other traditional metrics, but that our people – our greatest source of success — rate their BAL experience so highly.”
Texas CEO Magazine partnered with Comparably, a company that collects employee reviews for firms across the U.S., to find the most highly approved CEOs. Jeremy is among 22 CEOs rated “A+” by their employees, representing the top 5% of employee-rated CEOs of large companies in Texas.
The magazine recognized Jeremy for helming BAL’s aggressive nationwide growth in the middle of the pandemic—the firm has opened a new office every year for the past five years, most recently in Santa Clara, Calif., Denver and soon Los Angeles—and for leading the company to other key milestones, including strategic lateral hires and eminence in legal technology.
Along with these huge strides in dominating corporate immigration, Jeremy managed to keep a growing workforce engaged and innovating at a time when many companies experienced labor shortages. “My leadership philosophy is time-tested and true: be a servant leader,” Jeremy said, “Genuinely love your people and look for meaningful ways to serve them.”
This service mentality inspired Jeremy and the firm’s leadership to shape an empathetic workplace culture at BAL, offering perks such as unlimited vacation and hybrid work options. Employees appreciate Jeremy’s open-door policy, with one reviewer saying, “Jeremy Fudge is always willing to discuss your ideas with you to see if he can implement them or change policies that aren’t working.”
Learning and growing from conversations with his employees reflects Jeremy’s broader approach to life. When pointing to the best leadership advice he ever received, Jeremy responded, “Read widely and keep learning.” The approval rating by the firm’s 1,500 employees enthusiastically endorses this philosophy.
About Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP (BAL) Established in 1980, BAL powers human achievement through immigration expertise, people-centered client services and innovative technology. BAL, with 13 offices across the United States and global coverage in more than 185 countries around the world, operates as a single entity through its oneBAL culture — a uniquely holistic approach, intentionally structured as one team, one brand, one P&L, one standard of excellence and one unifying technology. This united approach enables the firm to deliver the highest level of knowledge, insights and resources from across the entire organization.
Media Contact: Emily Albrecht Senior Director — Marketing & Communications ealbrecht@bal.com 469-559-0174
The Biden administration published its final Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) regulation Tuesday as a U.S. federal appeals court weighed how the new regulation should affect ongoing litigation.
BAL Analysis: While the publication of the final DACA regulation is an important step in protecting the program, it does not immediately change the status quo. Currently, DHS continues to adjudicate only renewal applications (DACA and employment authorization) and advance parole requests for existing DACA recipients. Immigration advocates have stressed that litigation could delay the regulation’s Oct. 31 effective date and that individuals in need of renewals should submit applications as they normally would and as early as they are eligible, given the uncertainty around the litigation. BAL will continue to provide updates on important developments related to DACA.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has posted the text of a rule to “preserve and fortify” Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Background: The Obama administration created DACA in 2012. Upon taking office, President Joe Biden directed DHS to “preserve and fortify” the program. DHS proposed the DACA regulation in September 2021 and received more than 16,000 comments on the proposal last fall. The final version of the rule cleared White House review last week.
BAL Analysis: While the Biden administration has taken steps to protect DACA, the publication of the rule will not immediately change the status quo. Currently, DHS continues to adjudicate only renewal applications (DACA and employment authorization) and advance parole requests for existing DACA recipients. For more information, please visit BAL’s DACA Resource Center here. BAL continues to review the rule and will provide updates on important developments in the ongoing litigation.
The U.S. State Department is urging U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine immediately as Russia increases its efforts to strike civilian and government facilities.
Additional Information: More information regarding actions U.S. citizens can take to increase their safety is available here.
BAL Analysis: The situation in Ukraine may change with little or no notice and companies with employees in the country are encouraged to follow State Department information and warnings closely.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) will hold a webinar next week on “Operation Allies Welcome” (OAW) and ongoing immigration support available to Afghan nationals.
Additional Information: President Joe Biden announced the creation of “Operation Allies Welcome” on Aug. 29, 2021, framing it as a key part of the U.S.’s efforts to support vulnerable Afghans. Since OAW’s creation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has led the effort to help Afghan nationals, including those who worked alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan for the past two decades, to immigrate to the U.S. legally. Recent reporting indicates that the Biden administration is developing a portal to streamline the reunification process for Afghans and their families left behind in Afghanistan. BAL will provide updates as information becomes available.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the congressionally mandated cap for H-1B visas for the 2023 fiscal year. The agency will not conduct a second H-1B registration lottery.
BAL Analysis: USCIS’s announcement confirms that there will not be a second FY 2023 lottery. The agency received a record number of registrations in March, a sign of the ongoing popularity of the H-1B program and the high demand for a limited number of visas. BAL will continue to follow developments related to the H-1B program and will provide updates as information becomes available.
A rule to “preserve and fortify” Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has cleared White House review.
Background: The Obama administration created DACA in 2012. While the program has strong support from employers, it has been the subject of extensive litigation. DHS crafted the regulation in part to protect the program from legal challenges; however; additional litigation is likely after the regulation is published.
BAL Analysis: Currently, DHS is adjudicating only renewal applications (DACA and employment authorization) and advance parole requests for existing DACA recipients. BAL continues to monitor developments related to DACA and will provide updates as information becomes available. For more information, please visit BAL’s DACA Resource Center here.
In a recent briefing, Julie Stufft, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, provided an update on visa services, indicating that visa processing times abroad are improving, but that progress varies across visa-adjudicating posts. “The bottom line is that we’re recovering faster than we projected after a near-complete shutdown and freezing of our consular operations overseas during the pandemic,” Stufft said. “But this progress is still uneven across many of our posts overseas and we will need some additional time and tools to resolve wait times everywhere worldwide, which is our goal.”
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and related staffing issues limited the number of visas the State Department could process at embassies and consulates abroad. This led to a backlog of visa applications, delaying adjudication across visa categories. Early this year, the State Department announced that it would increase hiring to help address the problem.
BAL Analysis: While the State Department is working to address visa backlogs, continued processing delays should be expected. Service levels vary from post to post, and some applicants continue to face extensive delays in scheduling interviews or obtaining their visas.
Strategies for obtaining visas in a timely manner will vary from case to case. For example, the State Department has said that foreign nationals who face delays at their home consulate may be able to travel to a consulate in a third country to obtain services. In practice, this has proved challenging—especially for B1/B2 visa applicants—and third-country nationals often face difficulty getting an appointment. Wait times online may not be reflective of actual wait times for third-country nationals. Expedited services may be available in some cases involving business, medical or humanitarian travel; however, the availability of these services has also varied from post to post.
BAL will continue to monitor efforts to address processing delays and will provide more information as it becomes available. Employers and employees should continue to consult their BAL professional before planning international travel.