DHS to launch Known Employer pilot program

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is considering testing a “Known Employer” program aimed at expediting the adjudication of certain employment based nonimmigrant visa cases filed by pre-approved U.S. employers. This pilot initiative will have common elements with existing DHS Trusted Traveler programs such as Global Entry and SENTRI, which allow for expedited border clearance of pre-approved, low risk travelers. The Known Employer pilot, scheduled to debut in late 2015, will initially be phased-in at ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border and will presumably apply to TN and L-1 cases filed at the border by Canadian nationals. This is the initial step of a set of initiatives that the United States and Canada have committed to implement to facilitate cross-border business travel pursuant to the North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S.-Canada “Beyond the Border” initiative.