Biography
Christopher R. Thorn’s practice focuses on employment-based immigration matters. Christopher serves corporate clients in a wide variety of industries, including telecommunications, health care, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, engineering and higher education.
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COVID-19 and Important Considerations Relating to Certain Non-Immigrant Workers and Their Employers
Amidst growing concerns stemming from the continued spread of COVID-19, employers have been prompted to consider travel and work location…
DHS Publishes Final Rule Amending the H-1B Cap Filing Process
On January 30, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule that changes the process by which…
DHS to Wind Down DACA Program Over a Six-Month Period
THIS ARTICLE IS NO LONGER CURRENT – PLEASE CHECK OUR SUBSEQUENT ARTICLE REGARDING THE CURRENT STATE OF DACA: USCIS Resumes…
Important Immigration Updates and Reminders – January 2017
Throughout his campaign, and now as President, Donald Trump has indicated that his immigration reform efforts will focus mainly on…
Lengthy Delays for Nonimmigrant Visas at U.S. Consulates in India
Applicants for nonimmigrant visas in India are currently experiencing increased wait times for interview appointments at the U.S. Consular Posts.…
DHS Publishes Final New STEM OPT Rule
On Friday, March 11, 2016, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the long-awaited final rule relating to Optical…
Time to Get Ready for the H-1B Season
The most common H work visa is the H-1B which is for “specialty occupations.” A specialty occupation is one that…
DHS Proposes Rule Affecting Certain Employment-Based Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Applications
On December 31, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register, entitled “Retention…
DOL Refuses to Forgive Clerical Error on PERM Application
The permanent labor certification process (also referred to as PERM) allows an employer to hire a foreign national to work…
2017 Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery Program Announced
The U.S. Department of State has announced the opening of the registration period for the DV-2017 Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery…
Individuals Matched to a Job Order Not “Applicants” for Purposes of PERM
The permanent labor certification process (also referred to as PERM) allows an employer to hire a foreign national to work…
USCIS Announces New Process for Determining Eligibility to File for Adjustment of Status in Backlogged Preference Categories
On September 9, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a major overhaul of its system for determining adjustment…
USCIS Finalizes New Guidance on L-1B Specialized Knowledge Petitions
On August 17, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a final Policy Memorandum on L-1B visa adjudications (L-1B…
Final USCIS Guidance on When to File Amended H-1B Petitions for Worksite Changes
As previously reported, on May 22, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted draft guidance on when to file…
Corporation Pleads Guilty and Forfeits $1 Million for Hiring Unauthorized Workers
On July 14, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, announced that a corporation domiciled in Pennsylvania pled…
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for Extension of Stay H-1B Petitions
On July 13, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service for…
Didn’t Make the H-1B Cut? Here are Some Alternatives
As previously reported, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap, including the 65,000 general-category cap…
BALCA on Lawful Reasons for Rejecting U.S. Applicants in PERM Cases
The permanent labor certification process (also referred to as PERM) allows an employer to hire a foreign national to work…
Lawsuit Seeks to Block New DHS Rule Granting EADs to Certain H-4 Spouses
As previously reported, beginning on May 26, 2015, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin the implementation of…
PERM Denial Upheld for Failure to Submit Signed Recruitment Report
The permanent labor certification process (also referred to as PERM) allows an employer to hire a foreign national to work permanently…
DHS and DOL Issue H-2B Rules
The H-2B program allows U.S. employers or U.S. agents who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the…
AAO Requires Amended H-1B Petition for Change in Work Location When New LCA Necessary
On April 9, 2015, the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO), which is responsible for the review of certain decisions rendered by…
USCIS Issues Draft Guidance on L-1B Specialized Knowledge Visas
The L-1 (“intracompany transferee”) nonimmigrant visa classification permits multinational companies to transfer certain categories of employees from their foreign operations…
USCIS Resumes H-2B Adjudications But Premium Processing Remains Suspended
As previously reported, on March 5, 2015 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended processing of H-2B petitions for non-immigrant…
DHS and DOL to Issue Joint Interim Final Rule on H-2B Petitions
As previously-reported, on March 4, 2015, the federal district court in the Northern District of Florida vacated the Department of…
H-4 Spouses of Certain H-1B Workers May Apply for Work Authorization Beginning on May 26, 2015
On February 24, 2015, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director León Rodríguez announced that, effective May 26, 2015, the…
FICA Payroll Taxes Must Be Withheld From Employees Switching From F-1 to H-1B Status
As a reminder, employers need to be mindful when foreign national employees change from a nonimmigrant status exempt from Social…