Visa double jeopardy: employment crackdown.

• Author: Sanders, Ben
• Position: Citings - Brief article

IMAGINE ARRIVING in the United States from India or China, prepared to start a new job as an I.T. consultant. You have your H-I work visa in hand, so you expect smooth sailing through customs. Suddenly, you are pulled aside, questioned, and put on a flight back home. To make matters worse, you're hit with a five-year ban on entering the United States.

This scenario is playing out with increasing frequency around the United States, as Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents have taken on a larger role in reviewing decisions made by Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department in granting work visas. In particular, CBP has been looking closely at whether individuals working outside their sponsors' offices will be under their sponsors' control or working as independent...