FacebookXYouTube

U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation

28 11, 2003

Important Policy Change for Healthcare Professionals in the U.S. Seeking Green Cards

By |2003-11-28T14:00:36-06:00November 28th, 2003|Categories: Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Green Cards, Immigrant Health Care Workers in the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

Important Policy Change for Healthcare Professionals in the U.S. Seeking Green Cards November 28, 2003 In the past week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s headquarters in Washington, declared an important reversal of policy, lifting a significant burden off the backs of foreign healthcare workers seeking to become U.S. lawful permanent residents. The policy change: foreign healthcare workers residing in the U.S. seeking to apply for permanent residence no longer must obtain a Visa Screen Certificate prior to commencing the I-485 permanent residence process. Instead such certification can be submitted at any time following submission of the I-485 applications, but of […]

Read More
29 08, 2003

The New Visa Lottery (DV-2005)

By |2003-08-29T14:00:36-05:00August 29th, 2003|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Visa Lottery and Diversity Visas to the U.S.|

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 visa lottery where millions from all over world submit entries to have a chance at one of 50,000 diversity immigrant visas and obtain “green card” status in the U.S. That is because these are considered to be “high admission” nations, and the basis of Congress establishing the visa lottery […]

Read More
25 07, 2003

Proposed “Guest Worker” Legislation

By |2003-07-25T14:00:36-05:00July 25th, 2003|Categories: Employment Authorization / Work Cards in the U.S., Employment-Based Immigration Law, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

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 lawful permanent residence following a 3 year period of service. At this point, this measure is only a proposal, and has yet to be debated or voted upon. However, the fact of its introduction is continuing evidence that politicians on a national level recognize the ever growing […]

Read More
28 02, 2003

INS Adjudications Delays, INS Fees and Some Scary Legislative Proposals

By |2003-02-28T14:00:36-06:00February 28th, 2003|Categories: Citizenship / Naturalization and the N-400 Application, Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Employment-Based Immigration Law, Family-Based Immigration Law, Immigration and Criminal Law / Detainees, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

INS Adjudications Delays, INS Fees and Some Scary Legislative Proposals February 28, 2003 INS Adjudication Delays As previously covered in this column, INS offices around the U.S. have implemented new security check protocols in the processing of various applications for immigration benefits, particularly lawful permanent residence and U.S. citizenship. Specifically, before an applicant is granted their immigration benefit, the INS must receive the green light from the FBI after their name is processed through the FBI’s own security filter. This protocol is in addition to the fingerprint check wherein the applicant’s prints are analyzed against a nationwide database of federal, state […]

Read More
31 01, 2003

LIFE Legalization Filing Deadline

By |2003-01-31T14:00:36-06:00January 31st, 2003|Categories: Amnesty for Immigrants in the U.S., Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

LIFE Legalization Filing Deadline January 31, 2003 Firstly, before any of our readers gets too excited, LIFE Legalization is not a new program. Instead, it is a follow up piece of legislation put in place in the wake of President Reagan’s amnesty law, also known as the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (“IRCA”), and the many class action lawsuits that followed. And LIFE Legalization is now in the news because the Immigration and Naturalization Service is conducting a nationwide media campaign to remind eligible applicants of the filing deadline. BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, most in the undocumented/overstay community will […]

Read More
10 01, 2003

Special Registration

By |2003-01-10T14:00:36-06:00January 10th, 2003|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Removal / Deportation Proceedings and Court Hearings, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Special Registration January 10, 2003 In the past couple months, the U.S. Immigration Naturalization Service, at the direction of the U.S. Department of Justice and Attorney General John Ashcroft, has implemented a program requiring MALE nationals/citizens of certain countries who are present in the U.S. to appear before an official at their local INS office and report their exact whereabouts and activities in the U.S. The program does not affect nationals and citizens of the specified countries who are also U.S. lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens. However, practically all other types of non-immigrants present in the U.S from these designated […]

Read More
21 11, 2002

New Homeland Security Measure to Lead to Reorganization of Immigration Agency

By |2002-11-21T14:00:36-06:00November 21st, 2002|Categories: DHS / Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

New Homeland Security Measure to Lead to Reorganization of Immigration Agency November 21, 2002 The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service – also known as “the INS”, the federal executive agency charged with the implementation and enforcement of our country’s immigration laws, will cease to exist under a new plan that is about to be signed into law by President Bush. In the past week or so, both houses of Congress have given the go-ahead to a measure authorizing the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, an agency that will serve as the umbrella for separate immigration enforcement and immigration benefits […]

Read More
7 11, 2002

Family Based Immigrant Visa Availability – Rapid Progress Expected in the Coming Months

By |2002-11-07T14:00:36-06:00November 7th, 2002|Categories: Conditional Permanent Residence Based on Marriage, Family-Based Immigration Law, Immigrant Visas for Spouse / Fiancee / Child Visas, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, United States Embassies Abroad|

Family Based Immigrant Visa Availability – Rapid Progress Expected in the Coming Months November 7, 2002 By federal statute, roughly 500,000 family-based immigrant visas and 140,000 employment based immigrant visas become available each fiscal year, which begins on October 1 and runs through September 30. This number does not include the 55,000 immigrant visas that become available each year through the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, a program which excludes citizens of several countries including the Philippines. Despite the large number of available immigrant visas, long lines have formed in all of the family based categories since the demand for these visas […]

Read More
22 08, 2002

“Aging Out” Children to Benefit from Child Status Protection Act

By |2002-08-22T14:00:36-05:00August 22nd, 2002|Categories: Family-Based Immigration Law, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation|

“Aging Out” Children to Benefit from Child Status Protection Act August 22, 2002 On August 7, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Child Status Protection Act. Although many aspects of this new piece of legislation remain unclear, the general aim of this law is to protect the immigration benefits of children under petition by their U.S. immigrant or citizen parents who have been, or will be, penalized because they turn 21 years of age. In theory the law takes effect immediately and in some cases will apply retroactively, although the publication of implementing regulations and the dissemination of guiding memoranda […]

Read More
27 06, 2002

Foreign Nationals Graduating High School in U.S. May Become Eligible for New Immigration Benefits

By |2002-06-27T14:00:36-05:00June 27th, 2002|Categories: Foreign Exchange Student Visas to the U.S., Green Cards, Lawful Permanent Residence in the U.S., Non-Immigrant Visas for Temporary Workers / H-1B, U.S. Immigration Law and Legislation, Undocumented Immigrants and Workers in the U.S.|

Foreign Nationals Graduating High School in U.S. May Become Eligible for New Immigration Benefits June 27, 2002 With bi-partisan support, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has given the green light to an “amnesty” type legislative proposal that could potentially benefit large numbers of foreign nationals graduating from high school in the U.S. At this point, the proposal has yet to be passed into law and the details are still sketchy. Also uncertain is whether the proposal has a chance of being voted into law by the full Congress and signed by the President. Those who stand to benefit from this proposal […]

Read More
Toggle Sliding Bar Area
Go to Top