The U.S. labor secretary and assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health recently signed a memorandum giving the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) authority to issue certifications supporting applications for U and T nonimmigrant status visas (which are related to certain crimes and forms of human trafficking). In this podcast, John Surma is joined by Leigh Ganchan, who is a member of Ogletree Deakins' Immigration Practice Group, to discuss what these visas are, how they have traditionally been used, wait times for these visas to be granted, and the status of applicants while these visa cases are processed. John and Leigh also discuss how the new memorandum could come into play in many OSHA inspections because one of the qualifying activities is "obstruction of justice," which OSHA may claim if an employer fails to cooperate with a compliance officer.

To listen podcast click here

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.