Visa Lawyer BlogThis is a summary from AILA. The following immigration-related bills were introduced into the House of Representatives and the Senate in March and April:
E-Verify Loan Origination Act of 2010 (H.R. 4744)
Introduced by Rep. Marchant (R-TX) on 3/3/10
San Diego Deportation Lawyer – New York Seeks to Counter Deportation Laws
After a week full of outrage about the Arizona Immigration law, we are happy to report about an opposite spirit coming all the way from the state of New York.
Gov. David Paterson stepped into the immigration debate Monday, saying he would create the nation’s first “pardon panel” to investigate requests of legal immigrants facing deportation because of past convictions.
Paterson, proposing the measure as the nation is embroiled in conflict over an Arizona law that critics say would encourage racial profiling, said he would pardon immigrants if they meet requirements including rehabilitation and demonstrate they’re not a danger to society.
Diversity Visa Lottery 2010 (DV-2010) Results areout now
The Kentucky Consular Center in Williamsburg, Kentucky has registered and notified the winners of the DV-2010 diversity lottery. The diversity lottery was conducted under the terms of section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes available *50,000 permanent resident visas annually to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.
Winners should start finding out very soon. Notifications to the randomly-selected diversity visa or “green card lottery” winners are being sent between May and July 2010.
How does it all work?
Democrats Introduce Comprehensive Immigration Reform Proposal
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and fellow Democrats on Thursday unveiled a “framework” for a sweeping overhaul of U.S. immigration laws. In wake of the furor over Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, Democrats said the first step toward reform must be bolstered border security.
The REPAIR Proposal, which still needs to be drafted into a formal bill, addresses seven main areas for immigration reform. These include achieving operational control of the nation’s borders to prevent future illegal immigration, finding and removing individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States, halting unauthorized employment using a biometric employment verification system, and maximizing the nation’s economic prosperity through reforms to the legal immigration system.
Among the document’s many recommendations is the proposal to provide an immediate green card to foreign students graduating from a U.S. educational institution with an advanced degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), who have an offer of employment in a field relevant to their degree. Further, REPAIR would strive to eliminate the family-based immigration backlog over a period of eight years by increasing the per country family immigration quotas from 7 to 10 percent. The REPAIR Proposal would also implement a two-step process to legalize undocumented individuals living in the United States who do not have criminal convictions and who do not pose a threat to national security.
San Diego Immigration Lawyer – Police Officer Conflicted about the Arizona Law
This past week we saw people from all walks of life debating about this unreasonable law. Even Arizona law enforcement personnel feel that this is going to create more harm than good. The shine of light to the Arizona law – if there is one – is that it has shaken our nation’s leaders into dealing with the need for immigration reform. In large numbers in Arizona and nationwide, people have turned out protesting the law. For more information about the new Arizona Law email me.
Arizona New Law – So what does it really say?
Arizona’s new immigration law is a bad idea whether you are an anti or a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform. The reasons are different for each but the idea of a state taking crazy measures points to the failure of congress and the administration to take meaningful action to correct what is becoming a system that is failing the immigrant community and our entire nation.
What does the Arizona law do?
Arizona’s law orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the United States illegally.
District Court Indicts San Diego Restaurant for Hiring and Employing Undocumented Immigrants
San Diego Restaurant, The French Gourmet Inc., indicted recently for knowingly making false attestations on I-9 Forms, hiring employees unauthorized to work in the U.S., and employing those aliens after learning of their ineligibility to work. U.S. v. The French Gourmet Inc. is the case, and you can read it here:
In May 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents executed a criminal search warrant at, The French Gourmet, and have taken workers suspected of being illegally in the country into custody. ICE has arrived at worksites with both criminal and civil warrants. It has searched businesses, frozen bank accounts, and arrested not only employees but also employers. This recent indicment sends a clear message to employers.
San Diego Citizenship Lawyer – American Expatriates Give Up Citizenship
With all the recent mess in this country the recent news about Americans giving up their Citizenship is interesting.
The Federal Register, the government publication that records such decisions, shows that 502 expatriates gave up their U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status in the last quarter of 2009. That is a tiny portion of the 5.2 million Americans estimated by the State Department to be living abroad.
Still, 502 was the largest quarterly figure in years, more than twice the total for all of 2008, and it looms larger, given how agonizing the decision can be. There were 235 renunciations in 2008 and 743 last year. Waiting periods to meet with consular officers to formalize renunciations have grown.
New Arizona Immigration Law – Will it hurt the economy and cause tourists, businesses to stay away?
I can’t remember so much controversy and anger over an immigration measure like the Arizona law passed in the past few days. The measure — set to take effect in late July or early August — would make it a crime under state law to be in the U.S. illegally. It directs state and local police to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal.
The anger over Arizona’s new law cracking down on illegal immigrants grew stronger today as opponents used refried beans to smear swastikas on the state Capitol, civil rights leaders demanded a boycott of the state, and the Obama administration weighed a possible legal challenge. Immigration lawyers in Arizona are also gearing up to defend clients and take on some new kind of cases.
Under the new Arizona law, immigrants unable to produce documents showing they are allowed to be in the U.S. could be arrested, jailed for up to six months and fined $2,500. That is a significant escalation of the typical federal punishment for being here illegally.
People arrested by Arizona police would be turned over to federal immigration officers. Opponents said the federal government could thwart the law by refusing to accept them.
Activists are planning a challenge of their own, hoping to block the law from taking effect by arguing that it encroaches on the federal government’s authority to regulate immigration and violates people’s constitutional rights by giving police too much power.
The White House would not rule out the possibility that the administration would take legal action against Arizona. President Barack Obama, who warned last week that the measure could lead to police abuses, asked the Justice Department to complete a review of the law’s implications before deciding how to proceed.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said the law is discriminatory and warned that trade and political ties with Arizona will be seriously strained by the crackdown.
Yet Arizona Governor is living in her own bubble. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer today deflected concerns that the state’s new immigration law will hurt economic development, saying many businesses have long wanted tougher action.
“I believe it’s not going to have the kind of economic impact that some people think that it might,” Brewer, a Republican, said.
Not all Arizona residents are siding with this. Mr. Gordon, Phoenix’s mayor and a Democrat, said his office hopes the City Council will authorize the city to file a lawsuit Tuesday. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera urged policymakers in the city to stop dealing with Arizona and Arizona businesses. Leaders in Mexico and California also demanded a boycott, as did civil rights leader Al Sharpton. More opposition is expected both from inside and outside Arizona.
H1B Cap Update April 25, 2010
As of April 15, 2010, approximately 13,600 H-1B cap-subject petitions had been filed. USCIS has approved 5,800 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees.
Many immigration lawyers are seeing a sharp decline in the interest in the H1B visa this year by potential employers and workers. Some are saying that the downturn in H1B applications this year could be as much as 60%. As a result of this decline, there are predictions that the quota will not be reached within the first few months of this year. Rather, many suspect that the bachelor’s quota won’t be reached until the middle of July, and that the master’s quota won’t be reached until later this June.
We shall see how the number will play out in the next few months.