US VISIT, DREAM Act, and Special Immigrant Religious Workers October 31, 2003 Below is a discussion of the status of some of the more significant immigration-related policies and legislative proposals. US VISIT The United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US VISIT, is a $350 million plus legislative mandate set to be put... Read more →
Student Adjustment and Farm Worker Legislation at the Forefront of Congressional Debate October 17, 2003 As previously discussed in this column, various pieces of immigration related legislation dealing with farm workers and undocumented status high school graduates have been introduced in Congress in the past year. Very recently, bi-partisan,... Read more →
A Real Life Tragedy September 26, 2003 Believe it or not, some of my most satisfying moments as an immigration attorney are when a client walks out of my office after I inform them that viable options to pursue their U.S. immigration goals do not now exist. A typical inquiry of this nature involves an [...] Read more →
Immigration Service’s Gradual Assignment of Duties to Outside Contractor Draws Criticism September 12, 2003 Over the past couple years, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, now known as the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, or CIS, began to assign a number of important functions to outside contractors, such as clerical... Read more →
The New Visa Lottery (DV-2005) August 29, 2003 Like in years past, those from Canada, China (mainland born), Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia (new to the list), South Korea, United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and Vietnam do NOT get to participate in this year’s... Read more →
I Just Got Married – Can I Apply for My Green Card and Undergo All Processing in the U.S.? August 8, 2003 This is definitely one of the more common questions presented to me as an immigration lawyer. Sometimes the client in question got married to a lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) and sometimes [...] Read more →
Proposed “Guest Worker” Legislation July 25, 2003 John Cornyn, a Republican Senator from the State of Texas, recently introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to allow “guest workers” from certain countries to enter the U.S., gain employment authorization for a period ranging from 1 to 3 years, and ultimately have a chance at... Read more →
Common Questions Facing Applicants for U.S. Citizenship July 11, 2003 The requirements to become a U.S. citizen by way of an N-400 Application for Naturalization are generally not complicated, although situations frequently arise where significant questions regarding an applicant’s eligibility are raised. General Requirements for... Read more →
Extending Your Visitor Visa Status in the U.S. June 20, 2003 One of the most common requests the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services or CIS (formerly INS) receives is that of the B-1/B-2 visitor visa holder seeking to extend his/her stay in the U.S. The procedure is not a complicated one in theory, however [...] Read more →