AILA: Welcome Changes to Business Visas but Implementation Means Everything
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
| CONTACTS: | |
|---|---|
| George Tzamaras 202-507-7649 gtzamaras@aila.org |
Belle Woods 202-507-7675 bwoods@aila.org |
WASHINGTON, DC — The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomed the draft of the long-awaited policy memo on the L-1B visa category. The agency will accept comment through early May and the final version will go into effect at the end of August, 2015.
"The L-1B visa is a vital tool used by multinational companies to transfer staff with specialized knowledge from one company branch to another," explained AILA President Leslie Holman. She continued, "Uneven adjudication of L-1B visa applications over the last several years have stymied businesses trying to ramp-up production or services in the United States, hurting the economy and costing American jobs.
"The tenor and tone of the memo is a positive step forward, reiterating and expanding on many of the principles in previous memos.
"I welcome the Administration's recognition that a lack of consistency has been an obstacle to this program's success and we're looking forward to the changes this memo should bring. We hope for a more seamless, straightforward, and consistent adjudication system for L-1B visas; training USCIS staff on the guidance laid out in this memo will be critical to making a real difference in how applications are evaluated, and essential to bringing common sense back to this process."
"I also welcome the chance to comment on the memo. The L-1B visa is important to our economy and our position in global markets, and thus it is critical that those who deal every day with these issues have the opportunity to closely review and analyze this approach and provide input as to its meaning in the field," she concluded.
###
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.