New Jersey Department of Labor Amends Minimum Wage Regulations

On March 26, 2018, Governor Rick Snyder signed an amendment to Michigan’s Local Government Labor Regulatory Limitation Act into law. Public Act 84 (2018) prohibits local government bodies from adopting or enforcing any local policy, resolution, or ordinance that regulates what a prospective employer must request, require, or exclude during the interview process or on an application for employment.

Since 2004, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has adhered to a policy of deferring to prior determinations when adjudicating petitions for extensions of nonimmigrant status. Its memorandum of October 23, 2017 indicates that this policy will change.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced the publication of a proposed rule that will once again revise and seek to improve the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker program. The H-2B nonimmigrant program permits U.S. employers to hire temporary foreign workers to perform nonagricultural labor/services to meet short-term seasonal or intermittent needs. U.S. employers must demonstrate the unavailability of U.S. workers and show that employment of H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly situated U.S. workers.