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Brenda Eckert practices in the areas of civil litigation, civil rights, employment law litigation, and employment-based immigration law before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. She has successfully defended public and private sector employers against employment law claims, including contract claims, discrimination claims and related state tort claims.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced on April 11 that the agency had randomly selected enough H-1B petitions to meet the congressionally mandated cap and the U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for FY2019.  USCIS received 190,098 H-1B petitions during the filing period which began April 2, including petitions filed

Certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-lB visa holders have been eligible for U.S. employment authorization, following a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) rule change in May 2015[1]. Since that time, thousands of spouses with H-4 classifications have applied for and obtained employment authorization documents (“EAD”). With these EADs, they have entered the

On January 31, 2018, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Syria was warranted, given that the armed conflict and extraordinary conditions supporting Syria’s original designation for TPS are ongoing. Having reached this determination after discussion with interagency partners, Syria’s TPS designation has been extended

Those of us who have occasion to visit our local, state or federal criminal courts do not expect to see law enforcement officers, particularly federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) officers, enter such respected and orderly places to arrest targeted foreign nationals for civil immigration violations leading to their removal or deportation from the

The answer to this question is “not necessarily.”  After the FY 2018 H-1B lottery, many participating U.S. employers and beneficiaries breathed a sigh of relief and gave a hearty cheer when their checks for the H-1B filing fees were cashed and a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) receipt notice was received for their

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) Service Center Operations Directorate has confirmed that they are not anticipating any procedural changes for the fiscal year 2019 (FY 2019) H-1B cap season. USCIS intends to follow the same procedures that were used for the 2018 H-1B cap season, which presumably would not include a pre-registration system. In

Don’t wait until it’s too late. There are steps you can take now to protect you and your business from costly litigation. The programs outlined below will provide training and education on sexual harassment awareness and prevention for all supervisory personnel as required by Connecticut law.
Continue Reading Register Now for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training – 2018 Schedule

Join Shipman & Goodwin Immigration attorneys Brenda Eckert and Ashley Mendoza for this complimentary webinar specific to a college and university audience.  Presenters will review the latest changes to immigration law affecting colleges and universities, and offer a discussion of I-9 compliance for F-1 students with employment authorization, as well as visa options for students, faculty and staff.
Continue Reading Webinar: I-9 Compliance, Visa Options, and Immigration Law Update for Colleges and Universities