California Adds Additional Paid Sick Leave Days to start Jan. 1, 2024

On October 4, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation to expand workers’ paid sick leave. SB 616 by Senator Lena Gonzales (D-Long Beach) guarantees workers at least five paid sick days per year, up from the current three days, while also increasing the accrual and carryover amounts. The new law provides for forty hours, …

Employer Requirements When Laying Off Employees on a U.S. Visa

If your company is laying off employees, there are steps you can take to limit potential immigration consequences for foreign workers and ensure your company is in compliance with U.S. immigration laws. The effects the layoff will have will depend on the type of work visa the employee is currently on. Visa Holders: For many …

Affecting all US Employers! Remote Verification for I-9s ends July 31, 2023

The COVID-19 temporary flexibilities for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, will end on July 31, 2023. U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced that employers must complete in-person physical document inspections for employees whose documents were inspected remotely during the temporary flexibilities by August 30, 2023." This will affect most employers who have hired employees after …

Increased NonImmigrant Visa Fees Effective June 17, 2023

The Department of State has announced fee increases, effective June 17, 2023, for certain nonimmigrant visa application (NIV) processing fees and the Border Crossing Card (BCC) for Mexican citizens age 15 and over, based on recent cost analysis by the Cost of Service Model (CoSM) and public feedback. The B1/B2 and BCC visitor visas and …

NURSES AND PHYSICAL THERAPISTS QUALIFY FOR AN EXPEDITED GREEN CARD PROCESS

Rising demand for nursing staff and a falling supply of nurses has contributed to the largest nursing shortage the U.S. has ever experienced, and is expected to intensify through 2023. Fortunately, there is a way for hospitals and health care providers to augment their staff with qualified nurses from abroad through a faster path to a Green Card than is available for other professions.

Now 5 Days of Bereavement Leave for Companies with 5 Employees in CA

Starting January 1, 2023, California employers with five (5) or more employees must provide five (5) days of unpaid bereavement leave for death of a qualified family member. A "family member" is defined as a spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, grandparent or grandchild. The new bill, AB 1949, requires that leave be completed …

New Rules for CA Employers to Provide Pay Scale Ranges to Employees and in Job Ads

Senate Bill 1162, set to take effect on January 1, 2023, amends Section 12999 of California’s Government Code, and Section 432.3 of the Labor Code, to expand requirements for pay data and pay scale reports, and imposes civil penalties for employers who fail to file. California employers, particularly those with 100 or more employees, may …

Copies (Instead of Original Signatures) Permanently Permitted by USCIS

by Jennifer Grady, Esq. On July 25, 2022, USCIS announced that it will continue accepting copies of original signatures on all forms and documents as a permanent policy. This makes permanent the temporary signature policy that USCIS announced in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that petitioners and beneficiaries can submit …

California Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Extended to December 31, 2022

by Laura Lee Just as the Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) was due to expire in September, Governor Newsom extended legislation to require employers of 26 or more employees to continue to provide job-protected leave to workers for COVID-19 related reasons. The SPSL bill is effective retroactively from January 1, 2022 to the new deadline …

New Minimum Wages July 1st for CA, CT, D.C., FL, IL, MN, NV, and OR

By Jennifer Grady, Esq. Effective July 1, 2022, the states and municipalities listed in the chart below will raise the minimum wage.  Please review the chart carefully to see if your state and locality may be affected by the new rates. Some raises in the minimum wage are specific to certain types of workers, and …

California Set To Increase Minimum Wage to $15.50 on January 1, 2023

by Jennifer Grady, Esq. Due to rising inflation rates, the minimum wage is set to increase in California to $15.50 per hour, for all employees, ahead of schedule, on January 1, 2023. Effective January 1, 2017, the minimum wage for all industries will be increased yearly. From January 1, 2017, to January 1, 2022, the …

Ukrainians Already in the United States May Be Able to Stay for 2 Years with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Ukrainian nationals who entered the United States on or before April 11, 2022, and who have maintained continuous presence in the US since April 19, 2022, may be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Secretary of Homeland Security from time-to-time designates a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily …

Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Cards (EAD) Increased to 540 Days for Certain Visa Categories

by Jennifer Grady, Esq. In light of continued processing delays at USCIS, a temporary final rule has been announced to automatically increase Employment Authorization Card extensions from 180 days, to 540 days. The extension will begin from the expiration date of the employment authorization and/or EAD, and is available for applicants with pending Form I-765 …

USCIS Adds Premium Processing Service for Forms I-765, I-539, and I-140

by Jennifer Grady, Esq. Major news for those seeking faster processing times to obtain their Employment Authorization Document (EAD), Green Card petition based on employment, and application to change or extend status! USCIS will roll out new phases of premium processing expansion throughout FY 2022 as part of a collective effort to reduce backlogs and …

Employers Will No Longer Accept Expired “List B” Documents for I-9 Verification after May 1

by Jennifer Grady, Esq. On May 1, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security will terminate the COVID-19 Temporary Policy that allowed employers to accept expired "List B" documents to serve as proof of identity from the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 to April 30, 2022. The temporary policy was put in place at the …