H-1B Worker Wins Injunction Requiring Employer Sponsorship
On June 11, 2009, a federal district court issued an injunction that required the University of Pittsburgh to sponsor a Russian biologist for an H-1B extension and continue her employment until her claims of discrimination in her discharge can be resolved. Karakozova v. University of Pittsburgh, No. 09-cv-0458 (W.D. Pa. June 11, 2009). The Karakozova decision represents the latest decision that injects the courts into what previously had been considered the employer’s unlimited discretion in sponsoring an employee for any immigration benefit, including H-1B classification. We reported last year on the Lionbridge decision, in which the 10th Circuit found that the employer violated a fiduciary obligation created by its vague immigration sponsorship policy by failing to sponsor an H-1B employee for permanent residence. These decisions unfortunately appear to represent increased judicial intervention into an employer’s sponsorship decisions and thus place a premium on the organizational policies that define the employer’s obligations in this area.
