Sessions

Moving talent to the United States has never been more complicated. New immigration laws and policies, a volatile economy, and the impact of COVID -19 have raised the stakes for employers who wish to ensure their U.S. workforces are supplemented and supported by the best and brightest professionals from around the world. This includes unprecedented delays for visa appointments at understaffed U.S. consulates; aggressive tactics by federal agencies in enforcing the H-1B and PERM/U.S. Residency programs; new and unique compliance challenges for sponsoring employers whose foreign-born staff are working remotely; and the prospect of new rules heralded by the Biden Administration that would tighten the educational requirements for U.S. work permits, raise the wage floors for the H-1B and other visa programs, and limit the types of activities foreign nationals may perform in the United States as business visitors. The immigration programs of only the most informed and best prepared U.S. businesses will fare well in this new environment. This session will help attendees focus on these important issues and develop strategies for optimizing their immigration and sponsorship programs.

Learning Objectives:

• Attendees will develop an understanding of the visa appointment backlogs at U.S. consulates and how in-person interviews can be waived or expedited.
• Attendees will learn how to assess and reduce risks in their H-1B and PERM programs given the enforcement trends by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Justice.
• Attendees will receive an update on the Biden immigration agenda, including proposed changes that are likely to occur over the remainder of the president's first term.

In-person session offerings are on a first-come, first-served basis.