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The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may have been replaced effective July 1, 2020 by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), but the rules of NAFTA remain alive and well in the halls of the enforcement agencies on both sides of the border.Continue Reading Gone but Not Forgotten: The Continuing Importance of NAFTA Compliance
In effect since July 1, 2020, the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). Although the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic largely overshadowed the effective date of this
Continue Reading New Labor Obligations Contained In USMCA Present Risks for Covered Employers
The Biden Administration took office on January 20, 2021. Many executive orders have been executed since that date, some of which directly change the manner of handling immigration matters. However, the U.S. and the world are still dealing with the global pandemic and this directly affects submissions, filings, and consular appointments. This update provides a list of the latest updates to U.S. visas and immigration matters, as well as what we forecast for the months to come.
Continue Reading Visas and Immigration in 2021 Under the Biden Administration
On May 22, 2020, the Mexico Committee of the ABA – Section of International Law published a Special Edition Newsletter regarding the Legal Impact of COVID-19 in Mexico. As the Co-Chair of the Mexico Committee of the ABA – Section of International Law, I worked with the ABA Mexico Committee to get this publication out in a timely manner. The intention for this special edition is to serve as a resource that provides a general understanding of the legal aspects and impact in Mexico of COVID-19 in each of the areas of law that we covered.
Continue Reading Special Edition Newsletter – Legal Impact of COVID-19 in Mexico ABA – Section of International Law – Mexico Committee
On May 13, 2020, Sheppard Mullin co-sponsored a webinar hosted by the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce involving Mexico’s economic outlook and the impact on the maquiladora industry. Below are some interesting take-aways from the program.
Economic Outlook
Sergio Luna, Director of the Department of Economic Research and Chief Economist at Citibanamex, explained that notwithstanding the global recession we are experiencing, the Mexican peso is projected to appreciate towards the end of 2020. However, because it will take time to recover from the recession, the GPD growth for Mexico is projected to be at -9% for 2020 but is expected to reach approximately 4.8% in 2021.
Luna also discussed the implications for the labor market, including the unemployment rate, which is expected to increase to 6.3% in 2020 from 3.5% in 2019. Lastly, he indicated that we can expect to recover over 50% of jobs lost in 2020 by the end of 2021.
Continue Reading Mexico’s Economic Outlook During and After COVID-19 and the Maquiladora Industry
The Small Business Administration (“SBA”) in its implementation of the CARES Act just released an updated loan application form for borrowers who want to avail themselves of Title I – Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loans. This form may be found here.
Continue Reading Paycheck Protection Program Loan Applications – Eligibility for Small US Businesses Owned by Latin American Companies
Doing business across cultural lines can be challenging. The spoken and unspoken rules will change depending on where in the world you find yourself. A misstep or unintended faux pas can be the difference between landing the deal or successfully negotiating a resolution to a disagreement and failing. This article is a companion piece to Episode 66 of Sheppard Mullin’s Nota Bene podcast where we discuss some of our tips for doing business in Mexico. Below are some quick pointers we discussed on the podcast. Although not perfectly transferable, these tips should also apply to business dealings in Latin America generally.
Continue Reading Business in Mexico? Five Tips for Success