Category: Current Topics

By Karine Wenger

It is that time of the year again. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins accepting petitions for new H-1B “CAP” visas during the first week of April 2018. Each year there is a cap on the maximum number of H-1B visas that will be issued — a 65,000 base cap, plus an additional 20,000 for beneficiaries who hold a U.S. master’s degree or higher. In recent years, the number of new H-1B petitions filed has greatly exceeded the number of available H-1B visas, which has resulted in the USCIS implementing a “lottery,” with only those randomly selected employer petitions being processed. In 2017, USCIS reported to have received over 199,000 H-1B petitions — more three times the number of H-1B visas available. Those fortunate enough to be selected in the lottery would begin employment in H1B on October 1, 2018. Read More

Do you have undisclosed foreign assets? If so, you’ll need to learn more about the IRS’ decision to terminate its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), effective September 28, 2018. Attorney David Foate of Gresham|Savage outlined the eliminated OVDP and shared other available programs that can assist U.S. taxpayers who run afoul of their reporting obligations: Read More

Effective April 1, new rules will change the claims procedures for disability benefit plans. If you are denied a claim, these amended rules could affect you. Attorney Corey Schechter of Butterfield Schechter LLP recently outlined what the new rules mean and how they can affect U.S. citizens, plan fiduciaries and insurance providers who deny claims: Read More

Sexual harassment is in the news every day, presenting a lot of questions for both employees and employers. 2018 SDCBA President Kristin Rizzo detailed some important tenets of sexual harassment claims in a recent op-ed in the San Diego Union-Tribune, explaining in part: Read More

Tax season is here. Do you know the requirements you need to meet when filing with head of household status? RJS Law recently outlined what information you need if you plan to file as head of household, and shared some common mistakes: Read More