Foreign students studying at U.S. universities have traditionally had a year after graduation in which to find a job, allowing them to live and work in the United States. Three years ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) changed immigration rules to stretch this window of time from 12 to 29 months for students graduating in certain areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

On May 12, 2011, DHS announced that it was expanding the list of disciplines eligible for the extension. The revised list adds fields such as neuroscience, marine science, environmental science, pharmaceutics and drug design, and education research. It also greatly expands its listings within the agricultural sciences and psychology. The decision follows a yearlong review of requests from businesses and academia to add new fields, says Gillian Christensen, a spokesperson for DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The announcement follows President Obama’s recent remarks in El Paso, Texas, where he reiterated his strong support for new policies that embrace talented students from other countries, who enrich the nation by working in science and technology jobs and fueling innovation in their chosen fields here in the United States, as a part of comprehensive reform.

By expanding the list of STEM degrees to include such fields as Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design, Mathematics and Computer Science, the Obama administration is helping to address shortages in certain high tech sectors of talented scientists and technology experts-permitting highly skilled foreign graduates who wish to work in their field of study upon graduation and remain in the USA, to extend their post-graduate work authorization.

Under the OPT program, foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges and universities are able to remain in the U.S. and receive training through work experience for up to 12 months. Students who graduate with one of the newly-expanded STEM degrees can remain for an additional 17 months on an OPT STEM extension.

Our monthly employer compliance newsletter where we review the I-9 form, the receipt rule and updating and reverifying the form,  is now available and we link to it  here.

Should you wish to become a client of our office, please contact us at:

562 612.3996  |  info@immigrationsolution.net

Yesterday, USCIS made the announcement that  a final rule was released that reflects changes made to the I-9 Form process over 2 years ago by DHS.  The changes were rolled out in April 2009 which included, amongst other changes, no longer accepting expired documents for identity and employment authorization.

Two years out from this ruling, there is still much confusion concerning the world’s most complicated 1-page form!  We hope that when USCIS does finally release the new website “I-9 Central,” that is will truly do what they are claiming it will – and that it to provide employers with additional clear & concise guidance and tools to become I-9 compliant.  In the meantime, we link to the FAQs regarding the final rule here, and link to additional I-9 employer resources here.

Our March 2011 news is now available.  You can access our Immigration News here and our I-9 Compliance Newsletter here.  Should you wish to discuss your immigration case with us, we can be contacted at info@immigrationsolution.net or by phone at 562 612.3996.

We have a volume of free information on our websites that includes newsletters, news flashes, podcasts, blog, and articles.  Please feel free to sign up on our website:  www.immigrationsolution.net to receive our information through email or iTUNES.

USCIS earlier this week, published new guidance on how to enter an employee’s US passport or visa number into E-Verify when the system doesn’t accept it.

There are occasions when E-Verify won’t accept an employee’s US passport or visa   The usual rule is that you should enter a document number exactly as it appears on the employee’s Form I-9, but sometimes doing exactly that doesn’t work.

USCIS announced that it has updated the help screens for US passport and visa numbers to reflect new guidance on how to enter these numbers in E-Verify.  A permanent fix for entering these numbers is in development and will be implemented in 2011.

In the meantime…What you need to know:

• If an employee’s US visa number isn’t exactly 8 digits, don’t enter it; leave the field blank (it’s an optional field)
• If an employee’s US passport consists of a letter followed by 7 digits, replace the letter with two zeroes (00) so that you enter exactly 9 digits
• For US passport cards, always use an uppercase ‘C’ when entering the number – the field is case sensitive

You may be wondering, why restrict what can be entered?

USCIS does this because they want to minimize the number of typos and incorrect information entered into E-Verify.  For example, several sets of numbers appear on a US visa.  If the field isn’t restricted to 8 digits, it would be easy for a user to enter the wrong number.

During this holiday season when travel increases, it’s important to remember what the process is for international travelers when you’re inspected at the airport or on land by Customs and Border Protection(CBP) officers.  They have posted a very informative list of FAQ’s which we link to.

The most important thing to remember if you are a non-citizen is the CBP Officer must determine why you are coming to the United States, what documents you may require, if you have those documents, and how long you should be allowed to initially stay in the United States. These determinations usually take less than one minute to make. If you are allowed to proceed, the officer will stamp your passport and customs declaration form and issue a completed Form I-94 to you. A completed form I-94 will show what immigration classification you were given and how long you are allowed to stay.

Note that completion of the paper Form I-94W remains a requirement at the port of entry for Visa Waiver Travelers even if a travel authorization has been obtained via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.  For more information on ESTA visit the Electronic System for Travel Authorization page.

Should you have any questions about business or tourist visas, please contact our office.

Employers can no longer afford to think that because they don’t hire foreign nationals, they don’t have any I-9 issues or need to comply with I-9 immigration regulations. The I-9 form is required documentation for all US citizens and non-citizens …every single employee must fill out an I-9 Form.

In our employer compliance audit practice, we find that every employer has I-9 violations, from minor clerical errors and unintentional mistakes, to document discrimination issues due to lack of training on I-9 regulations and document requirements.

Immigration attorneys, HR professionals, auditing firms and other professionals, if skilled in the practice area of employer compliance audits, could qualify as a viable vendor in handling I-9 audits, training and policy development.

There are a lot of do and don’t lists, blog postings, podcasts, free seminars and more on this topic which is why you should most particularly pay close attention as to whether or not the provider has a broad understanding of employer immigration compliance law and policy.  Discuss with them their previous and current experience, can they answer your questions, what services do they provide, what solutions are they proposing to suit your specific needs, and what type of follow-up consultation do they provide post-I-9 project completion.

Immigration Solutions regularly represents clients from all industries in developing effective I-9 policies and compliance programs. We assist our clients proactively in establishing and maintaining effective corporate policies and procedures, before one of the five government agencies involved with enforcement knocks on your door.

Our November Special Edition Newsletter on Employer Compliance is now available.  We reference what employers need to be aware of in light of the results of the mid-term elections, the increase in enforcement that is predicted to continue and how best to protect  yourself in this business climate.

Check out our new I-9 website and take the free Survey.

Follow these steps to ensure proper registration for the NCLEX examinations:

1. Submit an application for licensure to the board of nursing where you wish to be licensed. Then, verify that you meet all of the board of nursing’s eligibility requirements to take the NCLEX examination.

2. Register for the NCLEX with Pearson VUE via the Internet, telephone or by mailing in a registration form obtained from your board of nursing (photocopies of the registration form are not accepted).

3. Receive an acknowledgement of receipt of registration from Pearson VUE.

4. Receive an Authorization to Test (ATT) letter from Pearson VUE once eligibility is granted by the board of nursing.

5. Schedule to take the exam.

6. You will receive your results approximately one month after taking the examination. Please note, some boards of nursing allow candidates to access their unofficial results 48 hours after the examination via the Quick Results Service for a fee. Contact your board of nursing for more information about this service.

Additional important information for candidates taking the NCLEX examination is available by visiting www.ncsbn.org/1213.htm.

LONG BEACH, CA, October 22, 2010. Immigration Solutions, a leading full service consulting, immigration, and employer compliance organization, announces its new I-9 Employer Resource Center that is uniquely designed to assist businesses in developing and maintaining compliant employment practices.

Reputable industry leaders are being audited, as employer compliance becomes more complex and enforcement (investigations and audits) increase. In order to effectively deal with these issues and avoid the very severe consequences of fines and penalties for non-compliance, employers must take the time to develop a strategy and be prepared in advance with a Compliance Program.

Many companies struggle with determining who to turn to for their I-9 compliance needs. Immigration Solutions approaches its Employer Compliance practice with the same exceptional service level clients have experienced from their other practice areas. Their talented and experienced team offers onsite or offsite in-depth I-9 audits, compliance training, assistance with the development of training manuals and compliance policies and procedures, and on-call consulting services. They additionally assist their clients in responding to government Notices of Inspection and audit requests.

With pricing that is cost-efficient and tailored to the needs of their clients, Immigration Solutions is positioned to offer high touch services and solutions to their clients at affordable prices.

Websites: www.I-9Audits.com
www.immigrationsolution.net

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About Immigration Solutions

Immigration Solutions provides US and Canadian immigration services to individuals and employers throughout the USA and abroad. They specialize in business immigration and have a depth of experience in the IT, health care, arts & entertainment, and sports industries, amongst others. Their services include complex business visas for investors, multinational managers, skilled professionals and outstanding individuals in science, business, education, athletics and entertainment. They additionally provide employer compliance consulting services on proper I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) auditing, training, and work with their clients to develop compliant immigration policies and procedures. They offer these services, as well, to government contractors and advise on FAR E-Verify enrollment and compliance issues.