Posted September 24, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law
America’s immigration system is based on a quota system. This means that there is a limited number of permanent resident visas available each year, with limits per category and per country. This article will focus on the employment-based categories only.
Posted August 25, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law
On Saturday, August 22, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 8089, the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act, in an attempt to forestall the impending U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) furlough of about 13,400 employees that is slated for August 30, 2020. The bill will now go before the Senate, where its sponsor and co-sponsors hope for a quick passage soon.
Posted August 20, 2020 with Tags Immigration Law
As a result of delays in the issuance of Employment Authorization Documents (or EAD cards), the agency announced that employees may use—and employers must accept—form I-797 Notice of Action that indicates the approval of Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization Document) in lieu of the actual EAD card, provided that the I-797 is dated between December 1, 2019, and August 20, 2020.
Posted August 5, 2020 with Tags Immigration Law
The new DHS fee rule, which goes into effect on October 2, 2020, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will change the filing fees for the vast majority of employment-based petitions and applications filed with that agency.
Posted August 4, 2020 with Tags COVID-19, COVID-19 for Employers, FFCRA
Furloughed employees may be entitled to paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) even if their workplace is shuttered due to the pandemic.
Posted August 4, 2020 with Tags Nonprofits, Minnesota Nonprofits
The Minnesota Supreme Court concluded that an unpaid student intern working at a local nonprofit was entitled to the same protection against discrimination found in the Minnesota Human Rights Act as paid employees.
Posted August 3, 2020 with Tags Health Care
The Minnesota Supreme Court issued an opinion* that reverses the long-held common-law understanding in Minnesota that hospitals are not liable for the actions of their physician independent contractors.
Posted August 3, 2020 with Tags COVID-19, COVID-19 for Employers
While the ordinance does not directly affect the increasingly complicated and ever-changing analysis of when an individual is properly utilized as an independent contractor (as opposed to being treated like an employee), Minneapolis businesses should be cautious when preparing the written agreement required under the ordinance.
Posted July 31, 2020 with Tags COVID-19, Youth Sports, LLCs
Youth sports organizations are often run by people who are volunteers. Sometimes one volunteer within the group opens a bank account in the name of the sports organization, so fees can be deposited and expenses paid. Many times, a member of the group will suggest that the organization should formalize itself and set up a 501(c)(3) or an LLC to run the programs. What do these terms mean and when would it benefit a youth sports organization to formally organize as a 501(c)(3) or an LLC? Heidi Christianson explains.
Posted July 31, 2020 with Tags COVID-19 for Employers, Immigration Law
The current administration has sought to expand the types of benefits that would give cause to believe that an individual is primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, and, thus, inadmissible under U.S. immigration law.
Posted July 29, 2020 with Tags COVID-19, COVID-19 for Employers
More than four months after Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency in Minnesota, many employers are eager to return to normal (to the extent possible). But two recent developments in Minnesota that have further pushed back the timeline for returning to “business as usual.”
Posted July 14, 2020 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor
Pay inequities can create government regulatory problems with the EEOC and OFCCP, for example, and can also present litigation risks in the form of government lawsuits or private class actions. But pay equity issues also can result in brand and morale challenges that may ultimately be more significant than those in the regulatory and litigation contexts. Because of new, creative tactics from advocacy groups, as well as changes in the societal and media environments, employers should place greater focus on the brand and morale aspects of pay equity.
Posted July 14, 2020 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor
There are some legal risks associated with COVID-related changes in the workplace that deserve more attention than they have received to date. One of these is the potential for gender-based imbalances in compensation, promotions, and other conditions of employment.
Posted June 29, 2020 with Tags Labor and employment law, Wage Statements, California Labor and Employment Law
The California Supreme Court issued an important pair of decisions today clarifying that California-compliant wage statements need to be provided only to workers who perform the majority of their work in California, or who are based for work purposes in California.
Posted June 29, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law
On July 1, 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) will enter into full force, when it will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) as the primary agreement governing trade relations between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Posted June 23, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law
The new Proclamation seeks to bar entry into the United States of individuals who are using a visa in one of several temporary visas categories.
Posted June 18, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration
In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court issued today a legal defeat to the Administration’s termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The program (initially announced in June 2012) allows certain foreign nationals who were brought to the United States as children to request permission to remain in the United States (also known as deferred action) and work for a period of two years if specific requirements are met. An estimated 700,000 beneficiaries have received DACA benefits to date.
Posted June 16, 2020 with Tags Employers, Sexual Orientation Discrimination, Discrimination Defense
The Supreme Court has ruled in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals from being discriminated against in employment. The 6-3 opinion consolidates three cases from the Second, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits, each of which involved individuals fired from their jobs because of either their sexual orientation or gender identity. Each case called the question: Is discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity a type of prohibited discrimination “because of sex” under Title VII?
Posted June 11, 2020 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law
June 2020 is already proving itself to be a challenging month for employers who sponsor foreign workers.
Posted June 9, 2020 with Tags COVID-19, COVID-19 for Employers, COVID-19 Products
Business owners are facing decisions most never anticipated. Legal directives are not the only factor holding back the economy. Everyone is eager to see workplaces return to normal operations. At the same time, no business wants to put its workers and customers in danger.
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