Companies usually hire a foreign national who requires visa sponsorship because they cannot find a U.S. worker with those skill sets, which is frequently in the STEM fields. However, visa sponsorship comes with significant costs to the employer. Employers may be able to recover a portion of the immigration sponsorship fees by implementing what are called “clawback” provisions into their employment agreements. Clawback provisions are terms in the employment agreements that, in the event of a resignation by the employee before a certain date, require the employee to reimburse the employer for a portion of the costs or fees associated with his or her visa sponsorship.Continue Reading You Are Sponsoring a Foreign National Employee for Permanent Residency, Can You Clawback Some of the Fees?

If your company is like many, your board of directors may be demanding that you put more effort into environmental, social, and governance issues, which have become known by the now-ubiquitous acronym “ESG.” Those demands don’t come from nowhere: consumers are demanding transparency and social responsibility. In addition, if your company does business internationally, regulators are now focused on international social justice issues (such as the use of forced labor) more than ever.
Continue Reading Does Your Trade Policy Support Your Company’s Values?

Hiring employees does not usually call to mind international trade compliance obligations. However, together U.S. export controls and anti-discrimination laws create a web that is overlooked or misunderstood by many types of employers of all sizes across many industries. Anti-discrimination laws prohibit unlawful citizenship status restrictions when hiring, and U.S. export controls prohibit disclosing controlled information to foreign nationals without authorization. Together, these law limit acceptable job descriptions and hiring practices.
Continue Reading Export Control HR Pitfalls To Avoid When Hiring

Presidential Proclamation

On June 22, 2020, the White House announced an extension and expansion of Proclamation 10014, which was originally announced on April 22, 2020 and restricted the issuance of and entry on immigrant visas.  The new visa ban expands the restrictions to certain non-immigrant categories.
Continue Reading How the New Presidential Proclamation Regarding Non-Immigrant Visas Affects Your Company

Hiring the best talent can maximize the success of your company. Sometimes that means hiring a foreign national on a work visa. We prepared this booklet to help you navigate the complex U.S. employment-based visa options. This guide provides general information and we encourage you to contact us for more substantive guidance. At Sheppard Mullin, we stand ready to help you grow your company.
Continue Reading U.S. Visas – A Pocket Guide for Employers and Entrepreneurs

On September 13, 2019, the California Senate and Assembly unanimously passed an amendment to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) that places onerous obligations on employers and entitles employees to statutory damages for data breaches.  The landmark measure—AB 25—awaits Governor Newsom’s signature (or veto).  Regardless of whether AB 25 is signed into law, CCPA applies to employee data and employers have until January 1, 2020 to comply.  This article explores how the California Consumer Privacy Act impacts existing employee privacy rights and how employers can begin to develop a holistic privacy compliance program.
Continue Reading Employee Privacy by Design: Guidance for Employers Beginning to Comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act

Part II: Offer Letters and Background Checks

In a previous article, we addressed certain pitfalls for numerous foreign employers seeking to hire personnel in New York State (see Part 1 regarding advertising and interviewing for a job). This article is the second and last in a two-part series, which will now discuss sensitive New York laws concerning (1) offer letters and (2) background checks.

Drafting an Offer Letter

Once an employer has decided to extend an offer of employment to an applicant, many use offer letters to communicate key terms of employment for the candidate’s consideration. Offer letters are a valuable tool in setting expectations and creating a relationship with a prospective employee. If not carefully drafted, however, offer letters can also be construed as an employment contract or agreement for a fixed term of employment, creating unintended obligations on the employer’s behalf. In New York, the default employment relationship is “at will,” meaning that either the employee or the employer can terminate the relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice. To preserve this relationship status while accurately describing employment terms, employers should observe the following basic requirements when drafting offer letters:
Continue Reading Hiring Personnel in New York: Dos and Don’ts – Part 2

Part I: Advertising and Interviewing

Foreign companies expanding their operations to the U.S. through New York usually handle their U.S. hiring process like the way they do back in their home country. They should not.

While many states place restrictions on the hiring process, New York offers extensive and singular protection to prospective employees whose content and scope is not necessarily in the mind of all U.S. employers; foreign-based ones should, therefore, be even more careful. From posting a job offer to running a background check, New York employment law constantly evolves and thus provides many pitfalls that can turn any hiring process into a costly and lengthy litigation. This article is the first in a two-part series that will address certain key New York laws regarding (1) advertising and interviewing for a job, and (2) offer letters and background checks.
Continue Reading Hiring Personnel in New York: Dos and Don’ts – Part 1