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Corporate Corner: Employer Risks and Strategies in the Era of ‘Buy American, Hire American’
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Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP
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<p><span style=”color: #000000;”>Employers and practitioners are reporting growing difficulty in hiring foreign workers, and increasing numbers of requests for evidence and petition delays and denials, since President Trump signed the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order in April 2017. It calls for stepping up monitoring and enforcement efforts, with the H-1B program particularly targeted.</span></p>
<p><span style=”color: #000000;”>Many actions have followed, both formal and informal. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stepped up “random and unannounced” employer site visits, for example. The agency said it would focus on:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Cases where USCIS cannot validate the employer’s basic business information through commercially available data;</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>H-1B-dependent employers (those who have a high ratio of H-1B workers as compared to U.S. workers, as defined by statute); and</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Employers petitioning for H-1B workers who work off site at another company or organization’s location.</span></li>
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<p><span style=”color: #000000;”>Practically speaking, according to reports, the executive order has led to USCIS challenging H-1B new or extension applications for a variety of reasons, such as on the basis of salary levels seeming to indicate that the sponsored position is insufficiently complex to qualify for an H-1B visa, and requiring employers to provide extensive information on contracts and itineraries for H-1B workers at third-party worksites. There has been spillover beyond H-1B issues, too, such as lengthier adjudications, unpredictable policy changes, increasing scrutiny, a sense of arbitrariness and unpredictability, and requests for evidence into other visa categories of interest to employers, including H-2B, L-1, and TN visas, and calls to reduce or eliminate STEM Optional Practical Training.</span></p>
<p><span style=”color: #000000;”>Although the terrain for employing foreign workers in the United States remains difficult, there are ways you can meet these challenges head-on:</span></p>
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<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Review your existing workforce, decide which employees should be sponsored for H-1B visas, and plan in advance.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Perform an immigration audit and verify that all documentation is current.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Get your financial documentation in order, for verification that your company is able to support a foreign worker throughout his or her employment. This may include tax returns, contracts, and other documents.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Pay attention to application details. Small technical mistakes can be disqualifying. Keep in mind that agents may be looking for reasons to deny.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Be prepared to defend your need for an H-1B worker. This issue comes up repeatedly.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Take a look at foreign graduating students; don’t rely solely on the H-1B lottery.</span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Contact your WR immigration attorney for help with strategizing, minimizing risks, global migration and employment issues, and specific cases.</span></li>
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<p><span style=”color: #000000;”><strong>Resources: </strong></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>USCIS notice on </span><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.uscis.gov/legal-resources/buy-american-hire-american-putting-american-workers-first”>“Buy American and Hire American”</a></span><span style=”color: #000000;”> </span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>USCIS notice on </span><a href=”https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/putting-american-workers-first-uscis-announces-further-measures-detect-h-1b-visa-fraud-and-abuse”><span style=”color: #0000ff;”>“further measures”</span></a></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>USCIS notice on</span> <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations-and-fashion-models/combating-fraud-and-abuse-h-1b-visa-program”>“combating H-1B visa fraud and abuse”</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-buy-american-hire-american/”>Executive Order #13788</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>E-Verify,</span> <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.e-verify.gov/”>https://www.e-verify.gov/</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>Canada Work Permit: Global Talent Stream,</span> <span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.immigration.ca/canada-work-permit-global-talent-stream”>https://www.immigration.ca/canada-work-permit-global-talent-stream</a> <span style=”color: #000000;”>and</span> <a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.immigration.ca/plan-to-make-global-talent-stream-permanent-sparks-surge-in-interest”>https://www.immigration.ca/plan-to-make-global-talent-stream-permanent-sparks-surge-in-interest</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #000000;”>News, analysis, and commentary:</span>
<ul>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.industryweek.com/supply-chain/buy-american-hire-american-how-renewed-protectionism-reshaping-supply-chains”>“Buy American, Hire American: How Renewed Protectionism Is Reshaping Supply Chains”</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://mcdonaldhopkins.com/Insights/Blog/Government-Insider/2017/06/19/The-impact-of-Buy-American-and-Hire-America-Executive-Order-No-13788″>“The Impact of Buy American and Hire American” Executive Order No. 13788</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/how-president-trump-s-buy-american-hire-22273/”>“How President Trump’s Buy American, Hire American Executive Order Has Affected H-1B Work Visas”</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=692f4efb-5ce2-49c9-9c3a-cb45bd7c62c2″>“USCIS Holds a One-Sided Listening Session About the Buy American and Hire American Executive Order Progress” </a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.forbes.com/sites/washingtonbytes/2017/04/26/how-will-trumps-hire-american-order-change-labor-policy/#4f9f98e03f5c”>“How Will Trump’s ‘Hire American’ Order Change Labor Policy?”</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/hib-hire-american-trump/523626/”>“What Will Trump’s Executive Order Do to H-1B Visas?”</a></span></li>
<li><span style=”color: #0000ff;”><a style=”color: #0000ff;” href=”https://www.hrdive.com/news/prepping-for-the-h-1b-hiring-cycle-new-administration-new-rules/513822/”>“Prepping for the H-1B Hiring Cycle: New Administration, New Rules”</a></span></li>
</ul>
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<p>This post originally appeared on <a href=”https://wolfsdorf.com/blog/2019/07/15/corporate-corner-employer-risks-and-strategies-in-the-era-of-buy-american-hire-american/” target=”_blank”>Wolfsdorf.com</a>. Reprinted with permission.</p>
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About The Author<br/>
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<b>Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP</b> Established in 1986, Wolfsdorf Rosenthal LLP is a full-service, top-rated immigration law firm providing exceptional immigration and visa services. With over 30 years of experience and offices in Los Angeles, New York, Oakland, San Francisco, and Shanghai, the firm specializes in providing global immigration solutions for investors, multinational corporations, small businesses, academic and research institutions, artists and individuals.
Wolfsdorf Rosenthal attorneys are experts in their field and are featured contributors and speakers at local, national and global immigration forums and publications. They are also consistently recognized for their work and honored by the most prestigious awards on a national and global level.
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