The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2020 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement plans. Most limits have increased.
- In July 2019, the U.S. Trademark Office announced it would implement new rules to clarify what constitutes an acceptable specimen to show use on goods.
The Minnesota Supreme Court recently affirmed an employer’s liability for more than a half million dollars in unpaid overtime wages and an additional half million in liquidated damages because the employer’s split-day compensation system did not comply with the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act (MFLSA).
- The DOL’s new overtime rule is likely to survive the legal challenges that stopped the 2016 rule from going into effect. In the meantime, what should employers do to prepare for the rule’s effective date?
If you appealed an IRF overpayment decision, you may be eligible to join this settlement. Instructions for submission can be found on the CMS website.
- 18 attorneys general have filed an amicus brief challenging a new DHS expansion of expedited removal of undocumented immigrants. The signers support a preliminary injunction to bar implementation while the court case is proceeding.
- Among other things, the 217-page final rule defines certain terms and explains factors DHS will consider when making a public charge inadmissibility determination. Lawsuits have been filed.
- The bulletin notes that it is "likely that corrective action will also be required for other preferences prior to the end of the fiscal year."
- New site visits are underway to question foreign students and company managers on optional practical training in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- The first planned closures are the field offices in Monterrey, Mexico, and Seoul, South Korea, at the end of September 2019.
- Approximately 83,884 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa.
The likely end of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is coming soon, but many banks have not taken adequate steps to protect themselves and their clients from a seismic shift that some have labeled “the next Y2K.”
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is considering two significant changes to Regulation C, the implementing regulation of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (together, HMDA), which could lighten the compliance burden on smaller banks.
- The last few months have brought a number of changes, big and small, to what is required of employers in Minnesota. Here are some of the changes that Minnesota employers need to know to stay compliant in an ever-changing legal environment.
China’s Ministry of Finance announced new tariffs of between 5 percent and 10 percent on $75 billion worth of imported goods from the United States, affecting products in the Midwestern states and deepening tensions between U.S. and China.
- Beginning August 3, 2019, all foreign-domiciled trademark applicants, registrants and parties will be required to have a U.S. attorney appear on their behalf in the U.S. Trademark Office.
- With immediate effect, DHS issued a notice to dramatically expand the process of expedited removal. The ACLU has promised to file a suit challenging the action.
- A long-anticipated final rule provides priority date retention for certain EB-5 investors, increases the required minimum investment amounts, changes the targeted employment area (TEA) designation process, and clarifies USCIS procedures for the removal of conditions on permanent residence.
Effective August 1, 2019, a new law requires vendors to check the exclusion list “on a monthly basis and document the date and time the exclusion list was checked and the name and title of person who checked the exclusion list.”
- During the 2019 Iowa Legislative Session, there were developments that may impact employment-related decisions, especially related to hiring.
- What are the USMCA’s anti-corruption provisions and how can Mexico use them to fight pervasive corruption?
- The national and local publications have been full of articles recently on the emerging agricultural crisis confronting producers. Now might be a good time for lenders to brush up on the most significant laws affecting their loan remedies in the event it becomes necessary to seek enforcement of their loans.
- As of March 2019, a majority of states have legalized the use of cannabis products in some capacity, but cannabis-related businesses operating within the bounds of state law are still largely without access to basic financial services.
- As of March 2019, the Social Security Administration (SSA) resumed sending “no-match” letters to employers.
- A federal judge issued a nationwide order requiring USCIS to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a policy under which F-1/M-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors would begin to accrue unlawful presence as soon as they violate the terms of their visa status.
- Effective May 1, 2019, the E-2 investor visa program has opened to Israelis under a reciprocal treaty investor agreement signed between the United States and Israel.
- The letter asked the agency to explain the reasons for backlogged cases and how certain policies such as “extreme vetting” affect processing times and contribute to the backlog.
- Regarding EB-1 for China and India, the bulletin notes a continued “extremely high rate of demand” that may require temporary retrogression until October.
- Certain marijuana-related activities generally bar naturalization even if they are decriminalized under applicable state laws
- USCIS Completes H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2020, Reaches Advanced Degree Exemption CapOn April 10, 2019, USCIS used a computer-generated random process to select enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated regular cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption for FY 2020.
- The study by the National Foundation for American Policy also details how expensive it has become to petition for an H-1B professional.
- The data hub allows the public to search for H-1B petitioners by fiscal year, NAICS code, employer name, city, state or zip code.
- A goal is to limit in-person support to those who truly need assistance that can be provided only in person, the agency said.
- The U.S. Government increased tariffs last Friday on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, hiking the tariff rate from 10 percent up to 25 percent.
- There has been a bloom of data analytics tools for patent practice, and some new features of these tools have profoundly enhanced patent practice. Here are five examples of how applicants and their attorneys can improve day-to-day patent strategy using the latest data analytics tools.
The USPTO recently issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, proposing to amend the Rules of Practice in Trademark Cases to require all applicants, registrants and parties to be represented by a U.S. attorney.
The U.K. governmental authority that publishes LIBOR may phase out LIBOR by the end of 2021. Lenders who use LIBOR will need to determine what effect the phasing out of LIBOR will have for the lender and its borrowers.
Barlow Research’s December 2018 First Friday Web Conference, titled “Evolving Challenges and Competition for Small Business Banking,” focused on new challengers entering the financial services market. This article provides a summary of attorney Karen Grandstrand's comments during the Web Conference.
This article focuses on options available to Postdoctoral Scholars to attain permanent residence based on their professional skills.
USCIS will resume premium processing on Tuesday, February 19, for all H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018.
Fredrikson & Byron’s 2019 Session Outlook event provided an early opportunity to hear from legislative leadership in preparation for the January 8 start of session.
In the face of the nagging problem of fake products posing as genuine goods in online marketplaces, major e-commerce platforms are continuing to refine their strategies to address counterfeiting.
It is time to start preparing for H-1B cap season once again! This year, USCIS has proposed a new rule to implement a registry program requiring the sponsoring employer to electronically register online prior to formally submitting an H-1B petition with USCIS.
Due to recent amendments to the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, banks and other lenders who make loans to limited liability companies (LLCs) formed in the state of Delaware should carefully review their loan documents and modify restrictive covenants related to mergers, reorganizations, acquisitions, dispositions, and similar transactions to address a newly created form of transaction called a “division.”
This past July, the agencies released updated versions of several Interagency documents, one of which was the Interagency Bank Merger Act Application.
CMS’s David Wright has signaled that new provider-based guidance will be issued in early 2019.
Please be advised that as of Monday, November 19, 2018, employers who sponsor foreign nationals for H-1B, E-3 or H-1B1 status will be required to use a new version of ETA Form 9035/9035 to file Labor Condition Applications with the U.S. Department of Labor.
Major amendments to the Canadian Trademarks Act were passed in 2014.
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2019 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement plans. Some limits have increased, and some have remained the same.
Over the last few years, the securities industry has seen increased efforts from the FINRA, the SEC and other state and federal regulatory authorities, to generally increase protections afforded to senior investors and prevent financial exploitation of seniors.
- EventOctober 24 & 26, 2023Fredrikson's 39th Annual Employment & Labor Law Seminar
- EventUnderstanding and Complying with New U.S. Requirements When Doing Business in China
- EventHealth Law Webinar—HIPAA and Health Privacy FAQ Session
- Firm NewsFredrikson Announces New Leadership Team Led by New President, Melodie R. Rose