The US government has barred passengers on foreign airlines headed to the United States from ten airports in eight majority-Muslim countries from carrying “personal electronic devices (PEDs) larger than a cell phone or smart phone” under a new flight restriction enacted by the Trump administration. Claiming that “intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in various consumer items,” the new policy states that items including laptop computers, tablets, cameras, travel printers, and games bigger than a phone must be placed in checked baggage and are not permitted in the cabin. As to the definition of “larger than a cell phone,” DHS explains: “The size and shape of smart phones varies by brand. Smartphones are commonly available around the world and their size is well understood by most passengers who fly internationally. Please check with your airline if you are not sure whether your smartphone is impacted.”
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Happy St. Patrick's Day!
The St. Patrick's Day Parade on 5th Avenue in New York City.
For St. Patrick's Day today we set out to capture the most Irish photo possible. We believe we have succeeded: this photo of a banner of St. Patrick in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with an Irish flag should certainly qualify. St. Patrick’s Day Parade is one of New York City’s oldest traditions. The first parade, held on March 17, 1762, consisted of homesick, Irish ex-patriots and Irish military members serving with the British Army stationed in the colonies in New York. The marchers wore green since this was a sign of Irish pride that was banned in their home country. The parade's tradition of marching past St. Patrick's Cathedral has not changed, except that originally the marchers passed Old St. Patrick's Cathedral on the corner of Mott and Prince Streets in SoHo. Now time for a Guinness (the only thing missing from the photo)!
An Introduction to the Wonderful World of PERM
Whenever employers wish to hire foreign nationals for a permanent position in their company, they have to go through the process of sponsoring the foreign national for a Green Card. In any conversation about this process, the word “PERM” may come up, in the context of the employer-sponsored labor certification. (There are other routes to the Green Card but this post will focus only on the PERM.) PERM stands for Program Electronic Review Management (sorry to all of you who had images of the iconic 1980s hairstyle in your head) and refers to the review of the labor market testing the employer must conduct in order to obtain a certification from the US Department of Labor (DOL) that no US workers exist to fill the job offered to the foreign national.
Read moreYahoo Finance: “Trump’s travel ban impacts air travel, threatens US tourism”
President Trump’s revised travel ban, which temporarily bars travel to the US for certain citizens of six-predominately Muslim countries and temporarily suspends the US refugee program, goes into effect this week on March 16. The travel bans, in addition to disrupting the lives of many innocent immigrants and refugees, have negatively impacted air travel to the US and threaten US tourism, many leading travel industry authorities and leaders say.
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Fearless Girl
Fearless Girl by Kristen Visbal.
In time for International Women's Day, artist Kristen Visbal created the bronze statue standing defiantly in front of the iconic Wall Street bull. The already popular statue, which is only scheduled to be on display for a week, was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, a nearly $2.5 trillion investor and asset manager, for a campaign aimed at getting company boards to increase the number of members who are women. The money manager says it may vote against boards if a company fails to add female board members, and will send a letter to 3,500 companies asking the companies to act. "One of the most iconic images on Wall Street is the charging bull," Lori Heinel, State Street's deputy global chief investment officer, tells Business Insider. "So the idea of having a female sort of stand against the bull or stand up to the bull just struck us as a very clever but also creative and engaging way to make that statement. Even though it's a little girl, her stance is one of determination, forwardness, and being willing to challenge and take on the status quo."
O-1 Visas for Chefs: A Recipe
Many foreign nationals work in the US culinary industry. Of course, this is not surprising since American cuisine has long been influenced by culinary traditions from around the world. While there are a number of visa options that may be suitable for restaurant workers, in this post we are focusing on one of the most common visas available for highly talented chefs, bakers, and front of house staff. That’s the O-1B, for artists of extraordinary ability. (Yes, chefs are artists too!) We’ve previously discussed the O-1 generally and specifically for the TV and film industry, but for those culinary talents considering visa options for the US, we have an O-1 recipe for you! (Okay, this is a little silly, but we’re always looking for new ways to explain complex visas processes.)
Read morePresident Trump Signs Revised Executive Order Banning Travel from Six Muslim-Majority Countries and Suspending the US Refugee Program
On Monday, March 6, 2017, President Trump signed a revised executive order temporarily banning travel to the US for certain citizens of six-predominately Muslim countries as well as temporarily suspending the US refugee program. The executive order, “Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,” supersedes the original order issued January 27, and was revised to better withstand legal scrutiny in the courts (which his initial executive order had failed to do). According to Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, the order will “make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system.” The travel ban and refugee resettlement suspension is set to go into effect on March 16, 2017.
Read moreUSCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will temporarily suspend premium processing for all H-1B petitions effective April 3, 2017, the beginning of the filing period for H-1B “cap” cases. During the premium processing suspension, which may last up to six months, petitioners will not be able to file Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, which requests the H-1B nonimmigrant classification, for either H-1B “cap” or “cap exempt” petitions. USCIS will notify the public before resuming premium processing for H-1B petitions. All Form I-129 H-1B petitions properly filed before April 3, 2017, will continue to be premium processed within the required fifteen-day calendar frame. Note that the temporary suspension of premium processing for H-1B cases does not apply to other eligible nonimmigrant classifications.
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