COUNCIL FOR GLOBAL IMMIGRATION

Immigration

DHS and the White House: - Buy American Hire American Executive Order (instruction to federal agencies for proposal of new rules to protect U.S. workers and reforms to the H-1B program) -Known employer pilot program (intended to create efficiencies and save resource by allowing under 10 employers to voluntarily engage in a one-time registration of their bona fides with the government) -Trusted Employer Concept (intended to create efficiencies and save resources by requiring DHS to create a voluntary program whereby any employer may engage in a one-time registration of their bona fides, and recurring job classifications and descriptions with the government) U.S. Senate: - S. 2344 -Immigration Innovation Act of 2018 (high-skilled, employment-based immigration bill addressing concerns over displacement of U.S. workers in the H-1B program, and providing better access to talent) -S. 281 -The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017 (amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and establish a transition period to a first-come first-served green card allocation) -J-1 Visas (short term cultural exchanges) U.S. House: -H.R. 6794 - Immigration Innovation Act of 2018 (high-skilled, employment-based immigration bill addressing concerns over displacement of U.S. workers in the H-1B program, and providing better access to talent) -H.R. 6157 (PL 115-245) - The Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act of 2019 and the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2019 (extends funding at existing levels for federal agencies until December 7, 2019; extends the E-Verify program, the Conrad 30 waiver program, the EB-5 Regional Center permanent residence program and the special immigrant non-minister religious worker permanent residence program until December 7, 2019; and extends H-2B visa provisions that allow for the continued use of private wage surveys, staggered crossing for seafood workers, a 10-month season, and provisions that limit the ability of the Administration to enforce the corresponding employment and three-fourth guarantee provisions of the 2015 regulations) -H.R. 3711 - The Legal Workforce Act (amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to create mandatory requirements for use of the E-Verify system). -H.R. 392 -The Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act of 2017 (amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based immigrants and establish a transition period to a first-come first-served green card allocation) -J-1 Visas (short term cultural exchanges) -Amendment to Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill (includes H.R. 392 and creates a permanent H-2B visa returning worker exemption, reallocates H-2B visas to allocations four times a year, and redistributes H-2B willful violator penalties for those employers that willfully misrepresent the number of H-2Bs needed)