Department of State Visa Issuance Problems Resolved in 22 Posts but Delays Continue

On April 29, 2020, U.S. Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr. issued an executive order lifting the territory-wide stay-at-home order effective May 4, 2020. The order—called the “Safer at Home” order—includes several provisions that impact businesses with operations in the Virgin Islands.

The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued guidance on January 20, 2021, clarifying certain aspects of New York’s COVID-19–related quarantine leave law and expanding certain benefits under the law. Parts of the guidance came as a surprise to some employers, as they appear to impose additional obligations on employers to pay employees if they require the employees to remain out of work due to potential COVID-19 exposure.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, as of June 11, 2012, it had received enough H-1B cap-subject petitions to reach the annual 65,000 “regular cap” limit. On June 7, 2012, USCIS also exhausted the 20,000 H-1Bs reserved for foreign nationals with U.S.-earned advanced degrees. USCIS will…..