Articles Posted in News

I wanted to point out to an excellent article by staff writer for the ABA, Lynda Edwards, about the faith of those that help our armed forces in Iraq. Many of these people risk their lives to help our soldiers, and you would think that our government will make it easy for them to find shelter in the US, think again.

For refugees, the visa process begins with an interview by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Some must wait almost 5 years to get the process completed. According to the article, failing to aid Iraqis who’ve supported the U.S. would be a grave mistake. Ignoring them sends a dangerous message to the world: Support Americans and we’ll abandon you to be killed. Let us hope that US officials will realize the mistake they are doing by not helping such valuable resources obtain a visa and shelter in America.

Read the article here

The government is stepping up enforcement efforts against employers. ICE announced that a former and current top executive for a McDonald’s franchisee in Nevada, plead guilty to federal felony immigration offenses for encouraging undocumented foreign nationals to live in the United States.

ICE officials claim that company management employed individuals they knew were in the country illegally, including two restaurant managers, by furnishing them with names and Social Security numbers belonging to other individuals. In addition, Jimmy Moore, 47, the franchisee’s former vice-president, pleaded guilty to one felony count of inducing an illegal alien to remain in the United States. At sentencing, Moore faces a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Employers beware, things will only get uglier.

Compete America on behalf of thousands of US employers write to congress in support of immigration reform. They write:

U.S. employers rely on EB green cards to keep foreign-born talent living, working and innovating in America. Yet, despite the critical importance of these visas, Congress has failed to address the well documented backlogs in the EB green card system that leave some foreign-born, highly educated professionals waiting over six to 10 years to receive a permanent resident visa.

The three bills will address many shortcomings in the EB green card system. For example:

The American Immigration Lawyers Association released an excellent piece on the above referenced topic. Please read and let me know your thoughts. Let the debate begin!

America’s economy is flailing, and 78 million baby boomers are nearing

retirement, at which point they will leave the workforce to receive massive

Obama knows how important is the Latino vote, and he makes it a priority to meets leaders of this powerful voting Group. Obama addressed National Council of La Raza convention, which has attracted more than 20,000 people to the San Diego Convention Center. He promised today he would make immigration reform a top priority of his first year in office if he is elected president.

He also said:

“I think it’s time for a president who won’t walk away from something as important as comprehensive reform just because it becomes politically unpopular,” the Illinois senator said. “I will make it a top priority in my first year as the president of the United States of America.”

Read more here….

We all know that Hispanics will play a significant role in this year’s presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain. The Census Bureau reports an 18 percent jump in Hispanic voters in 2006, compared with the previous election. They are also a big part of the population in key swing states, such as Florida, New Mexico, California and Colorado.

And because this year, neither Obama nor McCain has a lock on Hispanic voters, even if it appears otherwise at the moment. Polls show that among Hispanics, Obama is leading by a 2-to-1 ratio. The presumptive Democratic nominee benefits from what is for most Hispanics, with the exception of Cuban-Americans, a near-hypnotic loyalty to the Democratic brand.

San Diego based CNN writer Ruben Navarrette Jr. has an excellent article on this in todays UT paper. Read more here….

I am a big fan of the 80’s music and was pleased to learn of Boy George’s upcoming Concert Tour, passing through San Diego as well in July. Now it seems that we will be be expecting a refund for the tickets.Boy George has been denied a visa to enter the United States, according to his site.

U.S. immigration denied the visa because George, faces trial in November in London on charges of false imprisonment relating to an April 2007 incident, according to a statement from Boy George’s management, posted on his site. Under US law a criminal conviction even from abroad, can lead to a visa denial or bar to enter the US.

Read the story here

I-140 Premium processing is back, but wait not so fast. The USCIS issued an official notice informing that, as of June 16, 2008, premium processing will be available for I-140 petitions on a limited basis. The premium processing service for I-140s will only be available for foreign nationals who are reaching the end of their sixth year of H1B term and who otherwise would not be eligible for H1B extensions.

I-140 premium processing will be made available to those who need their I-140s approved in order to be eligible for H1B status beyond the six-year limit. This would apply to H1B applicants who have only 60 days remaining before the end of the H1B six-year limit, but who do not qualify for extensions based upon the priority date of the labor certification filings, alone. In that instance, the I-140 approval will permit an H1B extension for an additional three years in those situations where the priority date is not current / available.

Our country’s commitment to bring to justice criminals against humanity is remarkable. The pursuit of Holocaust criminals shows that even after 60 years, they will face justice and be deported.

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) affirmed an order directing the removal of

Josias Kumpf, 83, due to his participation in Nazi-sponsored crimes of persecution during World War II.

Following the recent announcement of the audit of all PERM cases filed by Fragomen, largest immigration law firm in the nation. A new set of rules was issued by DOL on the role of Lawyers following the PERM process.

The Department has long held the view that good faith recruitment requires that an employer’s process for considering U.S. workers who respond to certification-related recruitment closely resembles the employer’s normal consideration process. In most situations, that normal process does not involve a role for an attorney or agent (as defined in 20 C.F.R. 656.3) in assessing the ability of applicants to fill the employer’s needs.

More specifically, the types of actions prohibited by 20 C.F.R. 656.10(b)(2)(i) and (ii) include: