Immigration attorneys and other experts say changes to the way U.S. Customs and Immigration Services processes visa applications are creating uncertainty for employers and universities in Wisconsin and across the country.
And they say policy changes going into effect this summer may make things worse.
On June 28 and July 13, USCIS released two memos paving the way to change how the agency handles the denial of applications to change or extend visas. The agency said the changes are part of an effort to implement President Donald Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” executive order, which he signed in April 2017.
In an email, USCIS spokesman Michael Bars wrote the goal of the changes is “safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and ensuring its faithful execution so that the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers are protected.”
The June 28 memo states that the agency will issue what’s called a “notice to appear” to anyone whose application or petition is denied and who is then in the U.S. unlawfully. That notice would formally initiate deportation proceedings. Read the full story here.
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