Alejandra Vargas – Duane Morris Immigration Law

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recently issued a series of changes in policy and practice that could make it significantly harder for some people to acquire U.S. citizenship and lengthen the processing times for all applicants. While there have only been isolated anecdotal reports of changes so far in how naturalization interviews are being conducted, we expect more noticeable changes in the coming months. Similarly, on August 19, 2025, USCIS announced updates to its policy manual expanding officers’ discretionary authority for certain immigration benefits requests, directing them to give “significant negative discretionary weight” for “anti-American” ideologies or activities.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris website.

October 25, 2024October 25, 2024 by Duane Morris

Federal Jury Finds IT Firm Liable for Discrimination Against Non-Indian, Non-South Asian Workers

On October 4, 2024, a California federal jury found Cognizant Technology Solutions engaged in a pattern or practice of intentional discrimination against a class of non-South Asian and non-Indian employees. Cognizant is a U.S.-based multinational IT consulting company and one of the country’s top users of the H-1B (specialty occupation) visa.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

August 26, 2024 by Duane Morris

Tax and Immigration Issues Surrounding the Surrender of a Green Card

There are several reasons why lawful permanent residents (LPRs) might choose to abandon their green cards. One common reason is relocation due to employment opportunities in another country, where a green card holder no longer needs to maintain permanent residence in the United States. Additionally, changes in personal circumstances, such as family commitments or lifestyle preferences, might prompt someone to move somewhere else and give up their green card, which is officially known as a Permanent Resident Card or Form I-551.

Tax considerations also play a significant role. U.S. green card holders are subject to U.S. tax obligations on their worldwide income and may also face U.S. estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes, as green card holders are also frequently determined to be domiciled in the United States. In addition, once an LPR becomes a “long-term resident” (LTR) under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code’s expatriation tax provisions (generally, by having had the green card for any portion of eight years within a 15-year period), the abandonment of the green card can subject the LPR to a mark-to-market capital gains tax on global assets. So surrendering the green card in a timely fashion and with the benefit of effective pre-surrender tax planning can greatly simplify a former LPR’s tax situation and minimize unanticipated tax consequences.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

August 14, 2020August 28, 2020 by Valentine A. Brown

PERM Gets Rough in an Uncertain Job Market

Employers who may be trying to proceed with PERM applications for foreign national workers are in an uphill battle. With layoffs, furloughs and unemployment at all time highs, the Department of Labor is on high alert for unsuspecting PERM employers who are trying to do the right thing under difficult circumstances.

Employers who have H-1B or other workers with limited time on their nonimmigrant status, don’t have the luxury of waiting until the job market improves to begin PERM applications for their employees. For H-1B or L-1B workers in their final year or two of nonimmigrant visa eligibility, PERM is a necessity or they will have to return to their home countries. Continue reading “PERM Gets Rough in an Uncertain Job Market”