Tag: staffers

Wrong to assume that sacked H-1B staffers have to leave America within 60 days: USCIS director

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Washington: Amid mass layoffs in the tech sector, the federal agency for immigration services has said it is wrong to assume that sacked workers holding the much-sought-after H-1B visas have to leave the country within 60 days, asserting they have multiple options to stay in the US.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
In a letter to the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, USCIS Director Ur M Jaddou said: “When non-immigrant workers are laid off, they may not be aware of their options and may, in some instances, wrongly assume that they have no option but to leave the country within 60 days.” The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), which has been working for laid-off H-1B visa holders, recently wrote to USCIS about the impacts of recent technology sector layoffs and sought an increase to the up to 60-day grace period.
In the letter addressed to FIIDS director for policy and analysis strategy Khanderao Kand, the USCIS said it acknowledges the financial and emotional impact that job loss can have on employment-based non-immigrant workers and their families in the US.
“We are aware of the issue of involuntary terminations, especially in the technology sector,” Kand said.
Thousands of highly skilled foreign-born workers, including Indians, in the US, have lost their jobs due to the series of recent layoffs at companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
According to The Washington Post, nearly 200,000 IT workers have been laid off since November last year.

Industry insiders say that between 30 to 40 per cent of them are Indian IT professionals, a significant number of whom are on H-1B and L1 visas.
When a non-immigrant worker’s employment is terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily, they typically may take one of the four actions, if eligible, to remain in a period of authorised stay in the United States, the USCIS said.
Prominent among these include filing an application for a change of non-immigrant status and filing an application for adjustment of status.
They can also file an application for a “compelling circumstances” employment authorisation document or be the beneficiary of a non-frivolous petition to change employer, the USCIS said.
“If one of these actions occurs within the up to 60-day grace period, the nonimmigrant’s period of authorised stay in the US can exceed 60 days, even if they lose their previous non-immigrant status.
“If the worker takes no action within the grace period, they and their dependents may then need to depart the United States within 60 days, or when their authorised validity period ends, whichever is shorter,” the USCIS said in its letter.
It said that because the up to 60-day grace period is codified in the Department of Homeland Security regulations, extending it would require a regulatory change in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act and could not be extended by USCIS through policy guidance.
Fortunately, most individuals facing job loss already have several options to remain in the US, while continuing their job search past 60 days, the USCIS wrote.
It said it recognises the contributions made to the United States by talented foreign-born workers, including in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
“We will continue to monitor the technology sector layoffs and explore appropriate measures,” Jaddou said.
In a statement, Kand said departing the US after layoffs has an immediate impact on the families of the laid-off H1B and their school-going children.
“Losing these professionals is also a brain drain impacting the future competitiveness of the US in emerging technologies. Hence, FIIDS has launched a multi-phase campaign from awareness building to jointly written letters to the USCIS with elected officials and other prominent organisations,” the statement said.
FIIDS launched a media campaign in January to raise awareness about the issue.
In February, it launched a petition which received support from various prominent organisations like the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, US-India Business Council, American Jewish Committee, and The Indus Entrepreneurs seeking an extension of the grace period.
“We appreciate the USCIS for clearly providing options for the laid-off H-1Bs. These official communications will improve the possibility for the H-1B holders to remain legally in the US. We will still work with the DHS to change the grace period,” Kand said.
House of Representatives members Zoe Lofgren and Anna Eshoo, in their letter to USCIS, termed the departure of STEM professionals from the US a national security threat.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said that if retained, these laid-off professionals can develop innovative products and potentially start new businesses and create new jobs while advancing research across critical industries.
Recently, Senator Chuck Schumer told an Indian American audience that the issue can be addressed with a procedure change.
The “White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders” under the Health and Human Services Department also recommended an extension of the H-1B grace period.
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#Wrong #assume #sacked #H1B #staffers #leave #America #days #USCIS #director
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Bihar: Muslim govt staffers granted permission to leave early during Ramzan

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Patna: The Bihar government granted permission to Muslim employees and officials to come to office one hour before the scheduled time and leave office one hour before the scheduled time during the month of Ramzan, said State General Administration Department on Friday.
The General Administration Department of the state government on Friday issued a circular in this regard.
“Keeping in view the convenience of Muslim employees and officials, the government has granted permission to come to the office one hour before the scheduled time and leave the office one hour before the scheduled time during the month of Ramzan,” the official circular released by the General Administration Department stated.
According to Islamic beliefs, Ramzan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad.
Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which involves rigorous fasting for about 30 days.
During this month, Muslims do not consume food or water from dawn to dusk. They eat Sehri (a pre-dawn meal) and break their day-long fast with ‘Iftar’ in the evening.
Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
The festival is celebrated by sharing a delightful dish Seviyan (Vermicelli) that comes under different varieties like ‘Hath Ka Seviyan’, ‘Nammak Ka Seviyan’, ‘Chakle Ka Seviyan’ and ‘Laddu Seviyan’.

All these variants can be used in the dish called ‘Sheerkurma’, which is also prepared on Eid and distributed among friends and relatives.
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#Bihar #Muslim #govt #staffers #granted #permission #leave #early #Ramzan
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 18, 2023
Trump-allied group wants J6 committee staffers blacklisted

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“It is important to remember that even if one of these former J6 investigators is not listed as a lobbyist on this specific account, the billings brought in by the clients listed below benefit all staff at the J6 investigator’s new firm,” he added.
It remains to be seen how effective the gambit will be, as the letter was sent only this past Wednesday. K Street firms have a major presence on Capitol Hill and their hires include figures on all sides of the political spectrum. But the group’s play illustrates the intense desire that exists among some conservatives to exact political retribution for those staffers who helped unearth extraordinary evidence of Donald Trump’s bid to subvert the 2020 election.
Jones confirmed the authenticity of the memo in an email to POLITICO. He railed against the January 6 committee’s use of investigative power, claiming that the committee and the F.B.I. forced some to “spend tens — sometimes hundreds — of thousands of dollars defending themselves from an overreaching and weaponized government.” He argued that conservatives should not be taking meetings with these lobbyists’ clients.
“My email was just a short list of people and companies they should stop working with,” he said.
“Until conservatives are willing to fight back against the swamp — in this case cutting off the lifeblood of lobbyist access — the swamp will never be drained,” he contended.
Among those listed on the memo include Casey Lucier, former investigative counsel for the committee, who was hired at McGuireWoods, a firm that represents Hertz Global, Perdue Foods, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and others. Other names listed were Kevin Elliker, another former investigative counsel, who was hired by Hunton Andrews Kurth. That firm represents Koch Companies Public Sector, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, and Southern Company Services. Former committee staffers Marcus Childress, Heather Connelly, and Michelle Kallen had all been hired by Jenner & Block, the email noted, which represents T-Mobile and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
In his message, Jones also noted that the memo’s recipients were free to send over additional names.
Led by Jones, an alumnus of Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Tex.) presidential campaign, and Matt Buckham, a veteran of the Trump White House, the American Accountability Foundation has taken on controversial tactics to undermine Biden’s nominees. The New Yorker reported links between the American Accountability Foundation and the Conservative Partnership Institute, which has been affiliated with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorney Cleta Mitchell. Notably, Meadows’ attorney George Terwilliger works for McGuireWoods, one of firms listed in the memo.

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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 24, 2023
Hispanic Caucus weighs ousting its chair over top staffer’s firing

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Barragán’s actions surrounding the Usyk firing are prompting anger from within the group and skepticism that she will be able to lead it going forward, according to more than a dozen people interviewed. Both people who confirmed the Hispanic Caucus’ imminent meeting on its chair described it as a potential step toward seeking her removal after Barragán’s axing of its top adviser left the influential Democratic group without any staffers at the start of a new Congress — alarming lawmakers and aides alike.
The turmoil also threatens to hurt the Hispanic Caucus’ engagement on issues important to the communities its members represent, because the executive director works with the chair to set the group’s priorities. In addition, the staffing change and resulting controversy over Barragán’s move could also distract the group from working on policy at a time when its members are preparing for intense negotiations this Congress on immigration in the Republican-controlled House.
“Jacky is no longer with the CHC. We wish her well in her future endeavors. We do not comment on internal confidential personnel matters,” Barragán told POLITICO in a statement on Thursday. Asked on Friday to comment on the news of a virtual meeting to discuss her leadership of the caucus, Barragán’s office did not respond.
The Hispanic Caucus’ vice chair, Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), is considered next in line to run the CHC. His office did not respond to a request for comment on Barragán’s alleged management issues.
Usyk, a well-respected Hill veteran who declined to comment for this story, rose up through the ranks of Democratic offices before coming to the Hispanic Caucus. She served most recently as a top leadership aide to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and worked previously for Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), who’s now in Hispanic Caucus leadership as well.
The harsh scrutiny of Barragán comes at the outset of her tenure as CHC chair, a position that she won unopposed after its previous chair, Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), was term-limited out of the job. Her personal office ranked third for highest turnover rate of any House office from 2001 to 2021, according to the nonpartisan tracking site Legistorm.
Dear White Staffers, an Instagram account popular with Hill aides, first posted about Usyk being fired Thursday night and POLITICO confirmed the news shortly after.
After its former policy director recently departed to run another Hill group that represents younger Americans, Usyk’s firing leaves the CHC with no employed staffers as of Friday. The group had been set to bring on a new communications director next week, but it is unclear whether that aide, Bianca Lugo Lewis, will start the job as planned. Lugo Lewis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There is some ambiguity in the group’s bylaws about its chair’s ability to unilaterally fire staffers. One of the people familiar with the group’s dynamics who confirmed its meeting on Barragán also told POLITICO that the chair is given authority to hire staff but less clear power over dismissals.
Another two people familiar with the situation said Barragán sought counsel from the House’s lawyers before making the decision.
Barragán has a reputation of being a strict boss who struggles with high turnover in her office, a dozen current and former Hill staffers told POLITICO. Just a few years ago, during her first term, she had conversations with party leadership because of her staff churn, according to two separate people familiar with that situation.
The office of then-Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who likely took part in those conversations with Barragán, declined to comment, citing its policy on addressing private member-to-member conversations.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, Rep. Barragán’s first name was misspelled in an earlier version.
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#Hispanic #Caucus #weighs #ousting #chair #top #staffers #firing
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 11, 2023