Please join us for a two-part complimentary immigration seminar in which we will discuss:
1) Visa Basics for High-Tech Foreign Workers
Healthcare, high-tech, and mining companies are increasingly turning to the global labor market to find the right talent. In 2010, Colorado employers sponsored 19,700 temporary foreign workers, including many computer software developers and engineers from China and India. Many of these workers are entering the U.S. on the H-1B specialty occupation visa. The current economic downturn presents a rare opportunity for employers to take advantage of this underutilized visa. In previous years when the economy was booming, the H-1B visa quota filled within days of the April 1 deadline, limiting many employers' ability to hire these skilled workers. In the past three years, the recession has caused a dramatic drop in H-1B filings, enabling all employers who properly filed complete H-1B visa petitions in April to obtain them. In preparation of the April 1st H-1B filing date Holland & Hart's Roger Tsai will discuss the fundamentals of the H-1B visa process, including:
- Jobs that qualify for the H-1B visa
- H-1B cap and cap exempt employers
- Recent changes in the Labor Condition Application process
- Documents that must be retained after filing an H-1B petition
- Transitioning H-1B workers to permanent residency
- Legal liabilities to be aware of in the H-1B process
2) I-9 Audits, E-Verify, and Immigration Compliance for Employers
Nearly five years after the Swift & Co immigration raid in Greeley, Colorado employers are still concerned about immigration raids and audits. In an effort to deter the employment of undocumented immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted I-9 audits on 2,496 companies nationwide in 2010. These audits have resulted in more than $10 million of fines against 385 employers. Locally, Colorado enacted two laws that has resulted in immigration audits of 3,800 Colorado employers since 2007.
Michael Cousins, Forensic Auditor, Department of Homeland Security, ICE Homeland Security Investigations, and Roger Tsai will present on:
- The federal I-9 immigration audit and investigation process
- Industries targeted for immigration investigations
- Understanding the I-9 and Social Security No-Match process
- Changes in the Obama Administration's immigration policies
- Concerns to be aware of before implementing E-Verify
AGENDA - Friday, March 9, 2012
12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Visa Basics for High-Tech Foreign Workers
12:45 - 1:30 p.m. I-9 Audits, E-Verify, and Immigration Compliance for Employers
Speakers:
Roger Tsai, Immigration Attorney, Holland & Hart LLP
Michael Cousins, Forensic Auditor, Department of Homeland Security, ICE Homeland Security Investigations
HRCI CREDITS PENDING
To register online please click here. Login information will be provided closer to the event date.
Please respond by Tuesday, March 6, 2012.
Contact Paige Blair at 303-295-8277 or pablair@hollandhart.com.