Hiring season is fraught with questions and uncertainties; preparing employment applications; interviewing, drafting offer letters….. What questions can be asked? What questions should be asked? These concerns are even more pronounced when it comes to immigration status, and immigration sponsorship. Those tasked with the hiring process often ask, whether it is legal to ask applicants about their immigration status, how to ask that question, and even more important, “Do we have to sponsor for immigration status if the applicant needs it?”
International Travelers to the US must present Negative COVID Test Results
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a new rule requiring that all air passengers arriving to the United States from a foreign country provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation that the passenger has recovered from COVID-19. Passengers may satisfy this rule by either getting tested no more than three days before their flight departs and providing proof of the negative result to the airline before boarding, or providing documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 and that a licensed healthcare provider has cleared the passenger for travel. Learn more about this new requirement in our recent client alert.
H-1B Lottery Selection Criteria May Change to Salary-Based Process
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a new rule that transforms the random cap H-1B selection process to one that prioritizes registrations and petitions based on the highest Department of Labor (DOL) prevailing wage level met by the offered salary. It is not clear yet whether the incoming Biden administration will implement this rule at all or with modifications. Learn more in our recent client alert.