January 15, 2016
Effective February 16, 2016, newly amended regulations of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will provide the following for highly skilled workers in the nonimmigrant classifications for specialty occupations from Chile, Singapore (H-1B1) and Australia (E-3), the immigrant classification for employment-based first preference (EB-1) outstanding professors and researchers, and nonimmigrant workers in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)-Only Transitional Worker (CW-1) classification :
Per the USCIS’ press release, this final rule does not impose any additional costs on employers, workers or any governmental entity. Further, “changing the employment authorization regulations for H-1B1 and E-3 nonimmigrants makes them consistent with other similarly situated nonimmigrant worker classifications. Additionally, this rule minimizes the potential of employment disruptions for U.S. employers of H-1B1, E-3 and CW-1 nonimmigrant workers. Finally, DHS expects that this change will help U.S. employers recruit EB-1 outstanding professors and researchers by expanding the range of evidence that U.S. employers may provide to support their petitions.”
The USCIS press release further quotes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director León Rodríguez : “We constantly strive to improve our processes and ensure fair and consistent access to immigration benefits….This Enhancing Opportunities rule removes unnecessary hurdles that place workers at a disadvantage and will be beneficial to both employers and their workers.”
TAGS: CW-1, E-3, EB-1, Employment-Based Immigration, H-1B1
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