Recent Articles

Supreme Court's Decision in Kawashima v. Holder and the Hard-Learned Lessons of an Old Tax-Crime Conviction

Dawn Lurie
March 20, 2012 22:11

Small business owners who are green card holders should take note of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Kawashima v. Holder. The court ruled that making (or assisting in the making of) a false tax return is a crime "involv[ing] fraud or deceit," and is therefore an aggravated felony for...

From the Office of Special Counsel: Anatomy of an OSC Investigation

Dawn Lurie
March 15, 2012 14:55

The phone rings. "Hello, this is Attorney Smith with the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, may I speak to the Human Resource manager in charge of your Form I-9 process?" You say to yourself, “This is not good. I have no idea what this government...

How to Complete the Form I-9 for Employees That Benefit From the Auto-Extension of Temporary Protected Status

Dawn Lurie
March 14, 2012 19:15

In another welcomed measure that clarifies the work eligibility of a class of valued employees, the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) announced the launch of an educational video reminding employers that nationals of El Salvador with Temporary...

USCIS EB-5 Policy Memorandum Draft Updated

Dawn Lurie
January 12, 2012 19:30

In advance of today’s conversation with Director Mayorkas, the USCIS released the revised draft of the EB-5 policy memorandum, as well as a red-line version of the original memo, released last November, containing proposed changes to the program. As one of the 25 participants in today’s...

New Webinar Series on Workplace Discrimination

Dawn Lurie
December 16, 2011 22:32

On November 29, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the launch of a live webinar series on the topic of workplace discrimination. The webinars’ debut coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), which created the Office of Special Counsel...

EB-5 Breaking News: USCIS Issues Draft EB-5 Policy Memorandum

Dawn Lurie
November 09, 2011 23:39

 By: Dawn Lurie and Kate Kalmykov USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas invites stakeholders to review and comment on a draft policy memorandum (EB-5 AdjudicationsPolicy.pdf) on the EB-5 program. Greenberg Traurig, LLP will be submitting comments on behalf of our Regional Center clients and...

The Government Gets Back in the Ring...Employers Around the Country Report a New Round of ICE Audits

Dawn Lurie
November 04, 2011 21:41

The calls from clients who received visits from Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents started to trickle in last Thursday afternoon. Although nothing has been announced, we have reason to believe that ICE is conducting a new round of audits. While...

USCIS Redesigns Employment Authorization Document - I-9 Effect

Dawn Lurie
October 27, 2011 22:34

On October 25, Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Alejandro Mayorkas announced the release of a redesigned Employment Authorization Document (EAD or Form I-766) and a redesigned N-560 Certificate of Citizenship. The new documents will be issued on an ongoing...

California Law Prohibits State from Requiring Employers to Use E-Verify

Dawn Lurie
October 26, 2011 21:11

Perhaps in effort to reign in the rapidly growing number of individualized city and local E-Verify laws and simultaneously stimulate the California economy, Governor Jerry Brown signed the “Employment Acceleration Act of 2011” (AB 1236) which will take effect on January 1, 2012. This...

Just When You Were Ready for Summer, ICE Sends a Chill Through the Nation

Dawn Lurie
June 15, 2011 21:44

It was noticeably cooler in Washington this week as House Republicans sent a chill out to U.S. employers with Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) introducing an immigration enforcement measure that would make mandatory the currently voluntary E-Verify system, thus requiring immigration status checks for...