On Friday, January 27, 2023, USCIS announced the dates for this year’s registration period, which will open on March 1, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST, and will close on March 17, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST. Additionally, USCIS confirmed that employers will be able to create registrant accounts starting on February 21, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST.
 
An important note for employers is to refrain from creating a USCIS account until February 21, 2023, as creating an account early can lead to issues with the account setup.
 
Tuesday, March 1, 2023, is the earliest USCIS has opened the registration process, and while it may provide USCIS with more time to run the lottery prior to March 31st, it inherently shortens an employer’s time to determine who should be entered into this year’s lottery.
 
We will continue to keep our clients up to date as USCIS continues to release important announcements about the H-1B lottery this year. As a reminder, one way of getting current info is through our free webinars. Please see details below. 

The Best Practices to Follow When Structuring a Reduction in Force (RIF)

Please join Managing Partner, David Zaritzky Brown, on February 2nd at 1:00 PM CST for a new round of webinar learning (rebroadcast with updates) on the issue of RIFs. As we have witnessed changes in capital markets and financial forecasting and seen the decline in certain industries more of our clients have had to grapple with the unfortunate decision to reduce headcount. Having seen both good and bad markets, David has counselled clients extensively on the best practices to follow when structuring a reduction in force (RIF). In this webinar David will discuss the impact a lay-off has on status and green card processing. He will walk through the benefits you can offer employees in this unfortunate and unexpected situation.

After he goes over the major RIF related issues in the first 30 minutes, David will stay on for a generous Q&A time to provide answers to interested HR/Management attendees.

H-1B Cap Season for Employers/HR Managers

As employers are finalizing lists for cap season and are worried about what they can expect, David Zaritzky Brown, Managing Partner, will walk through our expectations for Cap season and the likelihood of success in getting selected. David will highlight the firm’s approach to Cap season and how we sync with employers. David will also discuss contingency planning from an employer’s perspective and options that exist for individuals hitting their work authorized limit.

As always, David will ensure there is additional time to ask questions and leave with the answers you need to manage your program. 

H-1B Cap Season for Employees

With cap season a month away this session will cover in more detail the issues that affect foreign born employees going through the Cap process. 

With discussion lead by David Zaritzky Brown, Managing Partner, he’ll drill down into travel and timing issues, contingency planning and likelihood of success in the lottery. David will walk through a variety of common scenarios we encounter every year to help individuals with more complex issues to better understand their processing options. And ultimately he’ll spend time answering specific questions from individuals who are concerned about what happens if selected and what happens if not selected in the lottery.

The Great Canadian Option, Eh

As a follow-up to our December and January discussions concerning how US and Canadian companies can leverage immigration options in Canada to provide continuity for those U.S. workers who run out of runway because of an unsuccessful H-1B cap season, join us for a deeper dive into Canada’s immigration system and its benefits as a more progressive skilled worker destination.
 
Join Supervising Attorneys Mason Ellis and Clinton Green (Canadian Practice Lead) to learn about the different immigration options for hiring workers in Canada and key recruitment strategies for starting operations or scaling existing operations in Canada quickly. Furthermore, as most workers can transition to permanent resident status within two years of entering Canada – we will highlight how Brown Immigration Law supports businesses to achieve this goal.

H-1B Cap Season Key Takeaways and Advance Planning Considerations – Rebroadcast with Updates

A new year brings a new H-1B lottery selection in early 2023! We want to ensure you are ready for the new year and that includes answering  all of your H-1B Cap lottery questions so you are ready to navigate the H-1B cap season. This talk will cover who should be included, how the H-1B works, and Cap selection in particular. David Zaritzky Brown, Managing Partner, will also speak to what to expect in terms of deadlines and timing, and how H-1B selection is then worked into an H-1B petition and the timing of that submission. David will also discuss H-1B Cap gap and contingency planning for those who are not selected.

Once registered, you will receive an email with a link to use to join the video chat on the day of the event. Please note: This link should not be shared with others; it is unique to you. If you ever misplace the invitation link, simply visit the webinar schedule on our website. 

If you have colleagues who may benefit from our talks, you are welcome to invite them to join by sharing our webinar schedule where they can subscribe for further information.

Don’t miss these opportunities to increase your knowledge on important immigration issues!

Thank you and we look forward to having you at the event.

Best Regards,
 
The Team at Brown Immigration Law

** This newsletter/memo is provided for informational and discussion purposes only. It does not act as a substitute for direct legal contact on an individual basis **